Courage
by BlueAsh666
Summary: Things were all going great, until Ashley had to go and get herself in a car crash. And then, some guy that reminded her of Slenderman comes up to her and tells her that she can turn into a bear now, as well as some other things. Oh, and her brother's imaginary friend, Jack? Turns out he's not so imaginary... Everything just keeps escalating for her... And it kinda sucks. Jack X OC
1. Chapter 1

A young woman of the age of nineteen sprinted past the leaping man and narrowly dodged another, as she gasped for breath and ran with everything she had. _Finally_... she was home free.

Or so she had thought. Heavy footsteps thundered behind her."Don't think you're out of this yet!" A deep, smooth voice shouted.

"Oh nuts!" She gasped as she silently urged her legs to move faster. Her target quickly grew closer, but so did the footsteps. She didn't dare look back to see how close her pursuer was.

The pursuer was right on her tail and she _knew _it, so she decided to test fate. She muttered a quick prayer, closed her eyes, and slid down into the grass at the same time arms grabbed her legs. They slid and rolled a few meters until coming to a bumpy stop.

A painfully huge weight was on her back, and the weight was panting heavily. The young woman waited for a sign to either cheer or stay on the ground in defeat.

"_Wooooooo!~ Yeah, Ashley! _Way to go!"

She opened her eyes and raised her arm in victory with a weak grin, calling back, "That's how I roll, baby!~" before pushing off the exhausted, way-heavier-than-her guy and throwing the football onto the grass. The rest of the guys jogged over, some gloating and cheering, others making up excuses or accusing her of cheating somehow.

The girl looked over at the guy next to her on the grass who, by the way, had claimed that '_girls can't keep up with the boys in football,_' and smirked. He groaned and held his arm over his eyes as Darius, or 'Big D' came over and picked her up, sitting her on his shoulders.

Big D... was a giant. Almost seven feet tall, and half as wide. He was black, with some chin scruff and light brown eyes that reminded Ashley of coffee with creamer in it. And he never talked. Ever. Ashley had not the slightest clue why, though- she'd never asked. He probably wouldn't have answered her if she did, anyways. He and Ashley had just clicked, right away. When she asked them if she could join their game, Darius had let her on his team right then and there. He was a damn nice dude. He just never talked.

Ashley patted his shoulder and looked down at the rest of the guys smugly. "See? I told you guys I'd keep up, didn't I?" Various mumbled apologies, weak '_we were just playing_' excuses and groans voiced. She laughed, fist bumping Big D as she looked over at the sidelines.

Zach, her step-brother, was waving and cheering as loud as he could. She waved back, and patted Big D's shoulder. "Thanks for the lift, D. Might I get down now?" He nodded and set her on the ground gently.

Once she got on the ground, a barrage of questions and comments were shouted out, ranging from how she got so good, if she wanted to play with them again, the general '_good game_'s, and she was _pretty_ sure she heard someone ask if she would marry them. She laughed and told them all '_thanks_' and '_maybe_,' jogging past them to get to her boy. Zach ran to meet the exhausted girl and gave her one armed hug, using the other to hold her jacket around himself. His light brown hair was messy, and he protested lightly as she ran her fingers through his hair to fix it.

"It's okay, really! I _like _it this way!" She scoffed and playfully slapped his hand away.

"Well, you shouldn't," she replied, "Because it makes you look like a hobo." As soon as she said that, a cold chill ran through the field, and Ashley shivered. Weird... It got cold awfully quick. _Oh well_.

Zach rolled his eyes playfully and nuzzled her stomach, shivering. Apparently, he'd felt the chill as well. "You think _everyone _looks like a hobo."

"Nuh-uh!" She retorted, "_I _look classy! Always!"

"You're in a grass-stained tank top and holey sweat pants. You're also sweating like a pig." He quipped. She faltered and narrowed her eyes at her half-minion.

"I think..." She said slowly, "I think I taught you a little _too _well." They stared at each other for a few seconds before breaking out in laughter. Ashley made a monster noise as she picked him up and threw him over her shoulder before walking to her car.

As the two walked on (well, she walked, he was carried), it struck her just how much has changed since she had first met her step-brother. She was now almost twenty, and he was eleven. It was hard to believe that they had once been at each other's throats. When her dad had married Zach's mom, she had gotten jealous of him because he spent so much more time with her dad than she got to, and he was jealous of her for spending so much time with his mom. It escalated into more than that, though. They became mortal enemies. Or so she had thought...

Once she had moved out two years ago, her father had called her and told her that Zach was acting really... different. More quiet, reserved. Her father had insisted that Zach had missed her, but she had shrugged it off as puberty. She really didn't have the time to be worrying over a little snot that hated her anyways... Too busy working and what not. Every once in awhile, though, she would think about the little bugger and not even realize it. Once she _did_ realize it, she had to tell herself that she did _not _miss him.

It didn't work. Another call from dad not too long later, after hearing about how Zach's grades had dropped, she decided to come around and visit, see what the hell was going on with the kid. If someone had been messing with him, oooh no... They would _have_ to be killed. The only one who messed with Zach was her, and _only _her. The second Zach saw her, he'd tackled her into a hug, and things between them shot off like a rocket. Now they're best buddies, and she wouldn't have it any other way.

She set down Zach, and tossed him the keys to start the car and the heat while she guzzled down the rest of her drink. It was starting to get pretty dark... She hadn't even noticed. Whoops...

As she was drinking, a familiar face walked over. It took a few minutes for it to click, but when it did, she smirked. _This_ guy. The guy who tackled her near the very end of the game. He had been the worst when she asked to join their game. He was a few inches shorter than her, but a hell of a lot thicker. And by thicker, that means more muscular. A _lot _more muscular than her. As well as pretty much all the other guys she had seen during the football game. His hair was short and black with the tips teased up, and he had a longer, rather unkempt patch of hair growing from his chin that was dyed dark red. Ashley wasn't going to lie to herself, he was a pretty good looking guy.

But he was still an ass.

As he got closer, her smirk widened. "Ho' there, friend!" She said, strong sarcasm lacing her politeness, "Mayhaps you have come to... Oh, I don't know... Apologize to little ol' me?"

He rubbed the back of his neck and shuffled. "Yeah, yeah, I know," He defended quietly, "I was a bitch." She nodded and motioned for him to keep going. "And was being _really_ sexist." He looked back up at her to see if she was satisfied yet. She wasn't, and he bit his lip. "And just an all-around ass... And I'm really sorry. I was wrong, and you _proved _that. Do you forgive me?"

When he finished, she pursed her lips in thought before shrugging. "Yeah, I guess I forgive ya." She held out my hand for him to shake. When he grabbed it, she squeezed it as hard as she could and narrowed her eyes. "But if you ever try to pull that crap on me again, you'll regret it. You sure as hell did _not_ need to pick me up when I _didn't even have the ball_, and slam me onto the ground as hard as you could."

Once he winced and nodded, she let his hand go and let a genuine, not-ass-holey smile spread across her face, and he breathed out in relief. "Thanks... I'm uh... I'm Gerad Stock, by the way."

She nodded and was about to answer, but was interrupted by her car's horn. She jumped and looked over, only to see Zach hanging out the window.

"C'mon Ashley, I wanna go back home and beat your butt at Guitar Hero!"

Said girl scoffed and waved him off. "_Boy_, you can't even beat me in your dreams! Now sit yo' booty in the seat- patience is a virtue!"

Zach frowned and furrowed his eyebrows together. "... Really? That's a stupid thing for a virtue to be..." She raised an eyebrow and gave him a look, which snapped him out of his thoughts, and he hopped back into the car, rolling up the window. Zach looked back at her through the back window, and she gave him a smug look as she took another sip of her powerade.

Gerad snorted and laughed at their exchange. "You and your son are funny."

Needless to say... when he said that, she spit out her powerade. She would have been a little upset over the wasted drink, but she was freaking out over the fact that he thought she was a _mother_.

"I'm only nineteen!" She choked out defensively. Gerad chuckled and patted her back as she tried not to suffocate on her drink.

"Yeah... That's not really all that surprising where I come from," He assured her, "I won't think you're a slut or anything, honest. You don't have to lie to me."

She gave him a bewildered look. "What in the- _where _in the... I'm not lying! He's my step brother! Where in the hell do you _come _from?!"

Gerad gave a sheepish grin and rubbed the back of his neck. "Southern Georgia. Redneck country, basically."

Ashley grinned and cocked her head to the side. "Oh yeah? That sounds, uh... Interesting. What was it like?" Maybe it was a little nosey to ask, but hey, she had never been outside her lovely little town of Burgess. And very few people come from the outside, so... If someone comes from anywhere that isn't Burgess, she wants to know what it's like.

Gerad wrapped his arms around himself and smiled apologetically before looking at the ground. "I'd love to tell ya, honest, but... I'm freezin' my arse off out here." He paused and looked up at her meekly, "Maybe I could tell ya... over tea or coffee sometime...?"

She snorted and nudged him. "Can't take the cold, Mr. Redneck?" She teased before answering, "Yeah, sure. I haven't been out anywhere without my little bro in a while, it'd be good to have a little me-time. When's good with you?"

Gerad exhaled with relief and beamed. "Great! How's this Friday? Maybe around... noon-ish, at the Starbucks by that bookstore, Barnes & Nobles?"

"Sure, sounds good. I'll meet you there." She said before glancing back at her car, "Now I really should get the kid back home before he ends up breaking my radio, and before _you _freeze to death. I'll see ya Friday."

He nodded vigorously, almost like he was snapping out of a daze, Ashley noticed. Maybe he has A.D.D. "Yeah- Yeah, you will!" He said with a goofy grin before jogging back to the field.

Oh, yeah... He definitely had A.D.D. That was okay, though, because one of her coworkers in GameStop has A.D.D. She could deal...

Once she got into the car and started driving, it hit her.

She slammed the brakes, throwing her arm out in front of Zach, even in her shock. Zach gave her a worried, bewildered look.

"What is it?! Did we almost hit someone?!" He all but yelped. Ashley shook her head in a daze.

"No, I... I think I just got asked out..."

Zach's face fell, and and he stared at his sister with an unamused gaze. "Really...?"

She nodded slowly and looked up at herself in the rear view mirror. Her auburn hair was messy, and sweat was still trickling down her forehead from the football game. The bags under her eyes seemed awfully prominent in the mirror, and her light brown eyes stared back at her. She was on the muscular side, and her shoulders were bit wider than most girls she saw in Burgess that were her age. She never wore make up, her nails were chewed to stubs, and her nose had a bump from when she had gotten into boxing.

Pointing back at Gerad's general direction, she implored, "How did _I_ get a date with _that_?!"

* * *

_**Author's Note~**_

_**Okay, my next new story! Let me start this off and say that the romance part is gonna take a while to start up. Sorry, if you were looking forward to that.  
**_

_**If I make any mistakes, please tell me. Also, this is the first time I've done anything in this kind of POV, so if it's worded oddly, tell me about it/tell me how to fix it, please.  
**_

_**So, yeah. That's about it. I hope you get a few laughs out of reading my dumb little story C:  
**_


	2. Chapter 2

"And then, this spider just jumps right at my face!" Ashley exclaimed animatedly, "And of course, I freak out- so the toaster's on fire, the fish is having a seizure or something, water is all over the floor, and there's a huge spider on my face. Are you catching all this?"

Gerad's face was bright red as he gasped for breath between laughs, "Dude, there's no way all that is true, you're makin' that up!"

"I wish I was!" She laughed, "It was a horrible, horrible time... But it was also very wonderful."

"What- how was it wonderful? I would've lost my shit if a tiny spider jumped on me!" Gerad grinned. "And how did you set the toaster on fire?!"

Ashley raised her arms defensively. "Hey, I did exactly what the toaster told me to do! It's not my fault this guy got his toaster from a thousand years from now!" She paused to take a sip of her mocha. "And y'know, the guy did pay me a hundred bucks. And he bought me a movie theatre pass, too. So... it was worth it. Plus, the free pudding was a lovely bonus."

"You're insane!"

"_Insane_ly amazing." She corrected. "And besides," she teased with a chuckle, "I'm not the one who went into a forest at night, to try and hunt a boar. With my bare hands. While I was so drunk I could barely walk."

Gerad scoffed and waved her off before gulping down his hot chocolate. She noticed that he looked like he was freezing. His skin was pale, and he was all but curling into himself. While she was doing that, she realized that she was staring and quickly glanced at her wristwatch in the hope that no one had realized she'd been staring. Once she realized the time, she let out a low curse.

"Aw, dude..." She groaned. Whoops...

"What is it?"

Ashley gave a wry smile and rubbed the back of her neck. "You know we've been standing here for almost two hours, right?"

His eyebrows shot up into his eyebrows. "Oh damn, really? No wonder I'm so cold... Daggon, how do you stand it? I'm over here shakin' like a leaf, and you're lookin' like it's all fine and dandy. You don't even have your jacket zipped up!"

"I guess you're just a wimp." She replied with a smirk. Gerad rolled his eyes and lightly pushed her before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a pen.

He held up the pen and made a grabbing motion towards Ashley's arm with his other hand. It took her a few seconds to realize that he wanted to give her a phone number. _His_ phone number. Her face warmed up as she rolled up her sleeve and gave him her arm. He gave her a cheeky grin before writing down a phone number, and putting 'Gerad - Call me so we can do this again :)' below it.

He looked up at her nervously, and held out his pen and his other massive hand. "Will you... uh... Will you give me your number?"

She scoffed. _Would she give him her number?_ "That... is a very not-smart question." She informed him with a laugh, "Of course I will! If you'll let me!"

"Shoot yeah, I will!" He assured her. She nodded and stuck out her tongue in concentration as she scribbled down her number.

Once she was done, she took a step back. "Alright," she sighed, "This has been fun, but I really have things that need doing."  
They exchanged smiles; the awkward kind that you give on first dates when you don't know how to say goodbye before Gerad started walking down the street. As Ashley watched him walk away, a goofy grin spread across her face and she silently cheered to herself, fist pumping and twirling...

At least, she did- until she noticed that people around her were looking at her like she was mentally unstable. Then she laughed nervously and mumbled a weak apology before turning, then rolling down the sidewalk on her Heelys, grinning like a maniac. Which probably didn't help her case, but what did she care? She was never going to see them again, anyways!

When she walked (and rolled) the short distance to her apartment, she ran into one of her neighbors.

"Ashy!" The young girl called happily, holding her rather sloppily stitched-up squid plush. She was twelve, but... she didn't act it. She was a sweetheart, but she didn't seem to be... all there. Ashley figured the girl had a mental illness or something, but never stopped to ask.

"Hey there, kiddo!" Ashley chuckled as she kneeled down to the younger girl's height. "How are you doing on this fine evening, Jenni?" Jenni beamed and held up the squid-thing, her gray eyes bright.

"Christmas! 'S for you!"

Ashley smiled fondly and rubbed her dark blonde hair. It actually wouldn't be Christmas for over two months, but surely the kid didn't need to know that. "Aww, well thanks, kiddo. But do your parents know you're giving away your toys?"

Jenni nodded vigorously and held the squid in her face, waiting impatiently for her to take it. Ashley pursed her lips in thought as she idly scratched her cheek.

Well... She could just take the toy now, and ask about it to Jenni's parents later. She knew the younger girl loved the plush toy. Jenni had been carrying around the thing for the last four months.

Once she decided what to do, Ashley beamed at the young girl and took it gingerly, lightly rubbing the patchwork squid on the top of it's head. She looked around to make sure no one was watching before letting her voice go soft. "Thanks, kiddo," she said, "I darn-sure appreciate it. I wish I could give you something, but..." She trailed off unsurely.

Jenni smiled and lightly tugged on Ashley's bomber jacket. "S'okay. You gotta get Zach, now?"

"Yeah," she said, "It's Friday. He stays with me on most weekends."

Jenni nodded and grinned before giving Ashley a hug. "Kay. 'M gonna go see Mr. Doctor Man."

"Oh no," Ashley groaned, shivering with pretend horror, "Not the doctor man!" She gave up the act and laughed, rubbing the younger girl's hair. "I don't know how you stand it! I never get within three miles of a hospital. I'm tellin' ya kid; you're a lot braver than me! You should be a superhero."

She gasped. "Like Batman!"

"Or, better yet- Iron man!" Ashley suggested before correcting herself, "Err, Iron _wo_man! You'd get all the things Batman does, and you'd get all the guys! Or whatever it is you like!"

Jenni was about to agree, but paused and cocked her head to the side. "What...?"

Ashley laughed and shook her head. "Nothing, kiddo, nothing. You'll get it when you're older."

The young girl just hummed in acknowledgement before turning and running to her mother, of which whom Ashley hadn't realized was there until just then. She waved at the older woman and held up the squid questioningly. Jenni's mother simply motioned for her to keep it before kneeling down to her daughter.

Shrugging to herself, she rolled down the sidewalk a few yards before jumping off the curb onto the road. She stopped at her her car, and found her chest swelling with adoration at the sight of her pride and joy.

Her pride and joy was a 2008 Camaro. Named after her favorite Transformer, I'm sure you can guess why she named her car 'Bumble Bee'. He was yellow with black racing stripes, and not a speck of dirt existed, nor ever would exist on her baby. She took better care of the car than she did herself.

She lightly ran her hand across the hood of the car. She briefly considered asking him if he was ready for a spin, but... Quite a few people around here already thought she was crazy, and she didn't really feel like adding more to that list today.

Unlocking the door and hopping in, she started up the engine and grinned like the Cheshire Cat as the engine roared to life. She clicked on the seat belt before backing up.

Once she was out of the parking lot and ready to get onto the highway, she blared Hollywood Undead through her absolutely lovely speakers. With the music reverberating through her car, making her chest thump in tune with the base, she shifted gears and sped down the highway with a cheer.

God, she loved her car.

* * *

Ashley rolled up to the familiar, light blue house and shut off her stereo. She pulled out her keys and locked the doors in stride, jogging up the steps and just walking right in.

Her dad, a large and rather formidable man, waved at her from the couch. "Hey sweetheart. Zach's upstairs playing in his room."

She nodded and gave him a smile before sneaking up the stairs. Her father, knowing what she was doing, just rolled his eyes and waved her off before turning back to Spongebob on the TV.

"My child is never going to grow up..." He sighed to the cartoon character.

As Ashley sneaked up the steps, she realized that Zach was talking to someone in his room. She figured a friend was over, until she stopped by the door and realized that whoever he was talking to wasn't talking back.

Huh... Guess she wasn't the only one who still had an imaginary friend at that age.

She slammed the door open as she yelled, "What are you doin'?!" Zach jumped up in the air and gave a scream that sounded distinctly like a little girl, and Ashley fell on the ground, she was laughing so hard.

"You scream like a woman!" She gasped as she rolled around on the ground. For a brief second, she swore she heard the echoes of someone else laughing, too, but just figured it was her imagination.

Zach glared at the laughing girl for a few seconds before giving up and laughing with her.

She crawled over to him once they had calmed down, and poked him in the side. "Hey, Little Z. Sorry I'm a little late- I'll take you to get some ice cream tonight or something, okay?"

"Okay... You wanna play soldiers with me and Jack?"

Ashley nodded and glanced around the room really quick, just to be sure that she was right, and this 'Jack' person really was not real. Zach had been watching her as she looked around, and he visibly deflated.

"I... You can't see him, can you?"

"I'm afraid so, kiddo," She confirmed, "But heck- don't let that stop you, alright? Just because I can't see him, doesn't mean you can't."

Zach cocked his head to the side. "What do you mean?"

Ashley exhaled and rubbed her neck. "Well, it's um... It's kind of a thing that's hard to explain..." She trailed off.

"Try anyways...?"

She gave the young boy an exasperated, if almost embarrassed look. "Well, um... Kids are... They see things, and notice things that adults wouldn't. Kids see more than we do, hear more, feel more. The power of belief is an incredible thing..." She trailed off and laughed at herself. "Okay, you can go ahead and tell me I sound like a fortune cookie, now."

Zach opened his mouth to speak, but stopped and looked over to his side, like he was watching someone. Except... no one was there. It was kind of weird to Ashley, but also pretty fascinating. The way the young boy's features shifted, and his eyes shifted this way and that, it was like there really was someone there.

After a few more seconds, Zach looked over at her, and scratched the back of his head. "Jack says you know a lot more about things than he thought you did."

Ashley paused. "So... Basically, your buddy, Jack, thought I was dumb."

Zach opened his mouth, his face twisted with protest, when he stopped suddenly and looked back to his side. His faced turned sheepish, and he avoided her eyes while mumbling, "He says yeah..."

"Me and your friend are gonna have to take this outside, if he keeps goin' on like this," Ashley told him playfully, cracking her knuckles.

Zach avoided her eyes. "He um... He said to bring it on."

Her eyebrows shot up. Wow... Did she take it this far when referring to her imaginary friends as a kid? Her boy seemed so sure that this guy was real, and Zach was coming up with stuff that he usually didn't. She figured that was just being a kid entailed. Her dad told her that she had a giant kangaroo as an imaginary friend that had an accent. She hadn't even liked kangaroos as a kid... The mind is just a powerful thing, she figured, so it would just be best to shrug it off.

"I don't think he could handle all this." She told him with a crooked grin, "Now lets play soldiers before me and your buddy partake in a fist fight."

Zack nodded vigorously, and crawled over to his little soldier men. Ashley followed him, and grabbed one of the dark gray soldiers with a machine gun.

"You'll never take us alive! Liberty or death!" She cried before throwing one of her troops at Zach's commanding officer.

Zach made a pained noise as he knocked the soldier to the ground, and made it act like it was struggling to get up. "Nooo!~ I'm too young to die!"

She smirked and grabbed a nearby toy rhino. "Well, we all have to go, sometimes."

Both Zach and Ashley let out war cries as the officer and rhino collided, and explosion noises rang through the room until it all came to a stop. Silence filled the room.

Zach gave his sister a hard stare. "You killed my officer."

"Yes. Yes I did."

He stared for the longest time before picking up his entire fleet and yelling, "REVENGE!" Then dumping his army on her. She made fake noises of pain as she rolled around in the toy soldiers, until she remembered something and shot up.

"Aha! I have a strategic advantage!" She reached into her jacket and pulled out the squid plush.

Zach gave an over dramatic gasp. "You have a kraken!"

"Correct-a-mundo, my fine enemy of war, and guess what?" She let out an evil laugh, "He's hungry!" She knocked his soldiers to the ground with the squid, making various eating noises until bringing it to a stop, and turning the squid's face slowly to Zach's. His eyes widened.

"No," he gasped over-dramatically, "You wouldn't..."

"I would."

"To your own brother?!"

"Absolutely."

Zach cried out as Ashley tackled him to the ground and rubbed the squid in his face as he flailed around. "Nooooo!" He yelled, reaching for the ceiling, "It's eating meee!"

They continued like that for a while, rolling around on the ground, until they finally rolled to a stop near the window. Zach was laying on top of Ashley's stomach, with the squid sitting on his head.

He looked up at her from under the tentacles, and gave a her a grin unlike any he had given her before, and it threw her off, really. His eyes were soft, and filled with adoration, and she had just never seen him look at anything like that before.

"I love you."

It took Ashley a few seconds to shake off her shock and respond. Once she did, however, she sat up and hugged him, nuzzling the top of his head. "I love you, too, kiddo. More than anything. And don't you ever forget it."

He laughed into her shoulder, and playfully protested. "Hey, don't get all girly and sappy on me, now. You're embarrassing me in front Jack!"

"But it's my job to embarrass you!" She laughed as she messed up his hair. However, despite her words, she let him go and got up. She took a few steps until a chill ran through her, and she frowned. "You have a draft in your room, buddy."

"Oh, that's not a draft; you're just standing next to Jack." Zach dismissed to her, hopping up and heading to his closet to pack. Ashley raised an eyebrow.

"How come Jack is so cold?"

"Because he's Jack Frost, duh!" Zach's head popped out of his closet, and he beamed at the spot next to Ashley. "I told you she was great!"

Ashley smirked, and decided to play along. She looked over at the spot Zach was looking at and winked. "Yeah, I am pretty amazing, aren't I?" Another blast of cold ran through her. Man... she really needed to check into that draft.

Zach was taking painfully long to get ready, so she cleared her throat awkwardly and shifted feet. She decided to make small talk with her brother's imaginary friend because, well, why not? "So, uh... You should make it snow today. That would be pretty righteous."

More silence.

"Yeah... Zach takes longer to get ready than a teenage girl," She sighed, "I'm trying to fix that, but..."

"Hey! I heard that!"

A grin crossed Ashley's face as she called back, "You were supposed to!~"

* * *

**Author's Note~**

**Holy crap! I got four reviews, and all these faves and follows already! My goodness, you have no idea how much I appreciate all of it! I got on my email, and it was just like an explosion of stuff, yo. I seriously fell out of my chair and screamed when I opened up my email. My dad thought I was having a heart attack!  
**

**Ahem, anywho... Sorry it took me so long to update. I've had the worst luck this past week. A day after I submitted the last chapter, I got really sick for five days and was banned from the computer so I woudn't infect everyone. And _then_ after that, I twisted or cracked my neck wrong during the night, and couldn't move or turn my head without mucho dolor. It was _not_ a fun time.  
**

**Tell me if I made any mistakes, and I hope you get a few laughs out of my lame little story!  
**

_**,BlueAsh666**_


	3. Chapter 3

Ashley opened up the door, and stepped out of her car, only to step on ice.

"Oh fuuck!~" She yelped as she flew off her feet and onto the ground, sprawling out onto the ice-covered road. She heard the other door slam, and footsteps. Then laughter.

"Oh, so you think this is funny, huh?" She called up as Zach's legs appeared in her vision.

"Yeah, actually, I kinda do!" He laughed. Ashley was _about _to insult him in various languages... until she noticed that he was standing on the ice...

She pushed his feet out from under him, and laughed as he yelped and slid to the asphalt.

"You pushed me!"

She grinned to him as she shifted onto her elbows. "Yep."

"I could have been hurt!" He protested, "I could have _died_!"

"I could have too, but you were still laughing, weren't ya?"

He went quiet as he tried to come up with a retort. The longer he took, the bigger Ashley's smirk grew, until he gave up with a huff and jumped on her back.

"You're horrible." He muttered.

Ashley hummed. "I am, but ya still love me, so I don't really give a damn- I-I mean dang. Dang. I don't give a dang."

"Ooooohh, you cursed!" He sang with a laugh, "I'm telling!"

She scoffed and muttered for him to hold on before pushing herself up, with Zach still clinging to her back. "_Boy_, I am nineteen-pretty much _twenty years old_. I'm old enough to smoke, and almost old enough to drink. I can say whatever the hey-hey I wanna say. I just choose not to curse in front of you because I'm _awesome _like that. Bitches better recognize..."

"You just cursed _again_!" He laughed.

"What?! I didn't curse!" She protested, "That isn't a bad word! It means female dog!" She paused as a thought hit her, and she added quietly, "Just... don't say that word to anyone."

"If it's not a curse, then why can't I say it?" He retorted playfully. Ashley paused mid step. Why _couldn't _kids say curse words? I mean, who took the time out of their day to decide what words were bad? What sorry sack of meat had such a boring, un-meaningful life, that they had to go and say, 'These words shouldn't be used!' to their kids?

Realizing that Zach was still waiting for an answer, she narrowed her eyes at him and said shortly, "Because I said you can't."

He complained lowly under his breath, but didn't test her. As she was climbing up the stairs he asked, "So... what are we doing today? Jack wants to know if we're doing anything boring; so he won't have to sit around doing nothing."

"Me thinks that Jack needs to stop stalking us." She told him dryly. Zach hit her upside the head and she yelped. "Hey! Watch it, you keep _that _up and I might drop ya! Kids these days, man... No respect for their elders..."

Zach gave an impatient sigh, "Okay, okay, I'm sorry. Now seriously, what are we doing?"

"I don't really have anything planned out," She hummed, "I guess we're gonna start out the day with some video games..."

He perked up and lightly tugged her hair. "Jack says he loves video games! Can he come in and watch?!"

Ashley groaned and dragged out a sigh as she came to a stop at her apartment door on the fourth floor. "I _guess_... He better not eat all my food, though." Zach cheered loudly as he slid to the ground, and turned and started talking animatedly to the air. Ashley watched for a few seconds with a small smile before turning and unlocking the door. God, that kid was gonna be the death of her...

"Alright my little alcoholic, get on in the apartment," She breathed as she opened the door. "Apologies for the mess, I _would_'ve cleaned up, except... I just really didn't want too. It's not too bad, regardless."

Zach motioned for his little imaginary buddy to get in before starting to run in. A few feet in, he stopped and turned around. "Hey- wait a minute! I'm not an alcoholic!" He protested playfully, "If anything, _you're _the alcoholic!"

"Well, yeah..." She admitted as she closed the door behind her, "But that's not a stage of my life that you need to know about, now is it?"

Zach froze and gaped at her. "Wait... _What_?!"

Ashley snorted and laughed, waving him forward. "Kidding! I was just kidding! Even if I _had_ gone through an alcoholic stage, you'd better believe that not a word of that would pass my lips to you. Now _scoot_, and pick out which game you wanna play. I'm gonna make you and I some hot chocolate."

He studied at her like he was testing her for something. She must have passed, because he seemed to dub her worthy and brightened up. "Alright, ya butt!" He told her, "Oh, and make one for Jack, too!"

As he walked away, she stared at his back exasperatedly. _Really_?

She just shrugged it off and grumbled to herself quietly as she walked into her little kitchen. _Just humor him_, she decided. What would it hurt? She could just warm it up later and drink it while he was sleeping. She didn't want to just smack him in the face with reality and tell him that Jack didn't really exist, because, well... Reality kinda sucks.

As the water was heating, she heard him talking excitedly to "Jack" and she couldn't help but smile. Fake or not, it was good that Zach had a friend. He just was _not_ good with other kids for some reason. When he was with her, he could talk to _anybody_. But when she or her dad, or his mom wasn't there... She figured he just got scared. She used to have problems opening up around other people when she was young, too, so she could get what he was dealing with.

She made the hot chocolate and walked into the room, seeing the 'Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood' start-up screen on her TV, and she cocked her head to the side. "That a uh... That's a one player game, you know that, right?"

"Yeah, I know." He assured her, "Me and Jack wanna watch you play! You're really funny when you play!"

She sat down in the spot he patted for her, and set the mugs on the table. "How am I funny when I play?"

"You talk to it!" Zach laughed, "And you get really mad and say stuff about Ezio's mother a lot when you mess up!"

She raised an eyebrow. "Wha...? No I don't..." Zach just shook her head and motioned for her to play. The game started (slowly) loading, and Zach snuggled into Ashley's side, shivering.

She frowned. "Cold, little bud?"

"Yeah," he answered, "How come you're not?"

Ashley scoffed. "Being cold is for squares. I don't get cold."

"Never?"

"Pssh, naw," She snorted, "I'm like a mobile heater. I radiate heat, all the time."

"But you shiver!" He protested, "I felt you do it at the football game!"

She patted his shoulder. "_Yeah_... That's a natural bodily reaction. Same thing with goosebumps. It doesn't mean you're cold, though. It just means that your body is, get this, _reacting_."

The game loaded, and she started off in the middle of a town. She hadn't even moved when four guards spotted Ezio and quickly surrounded him.

"God dang it, Ezio! Why do you always have to look so suspicious to people, dude?!" She cried out in frustration without even realizing it, as she made him sprint to a horse, "Your mother is ashamed of you, you stupid!"

Zach laughed loudly, and once again, she _swore_ she heard the faintest echo of a laugh. It was really weird... but, she shrugged it off. She was probably just going crazy... How could she not, hanging out with her little bro as much as she did?

* * *

Why was Ashley sitting in her car which was on the side of the road, in the middle of the night, when she could be sleeping? Her little brother, _that_'s why. It was two in the morning, when the little bugger had decided he wanted to go hunting for a _Yeti_.

Heck, she loved her brother just as much as the next guy- maybe more, but did he have to be so hyper _this_ late?! All she wanted a bit of sleep, but _nooo..._She just can not get that. Ugh...

"Do you see one yet?" Ashley groaned as she hit her head against the top of her wheel. "I wanna sleep..."

"Not yet," Zach told her as he looked through his binoculars, "But I'll keep looking! Once I see him, I swear we can go back, and you won't have to worry about Slenderman or _anything_!""

She groaned, "Yay..."

She sat up and rubbed her eyes tiredly as she watched the road in front of her. After a few minutes, she gave up trying to be attentive, and let her head fall back.

"If Slenderman gets us, I'm using _you _as bait while I run." She muttered.

Zach laughed as he glanced over at at her. "No you won't," He replied knowingly, "If anything, you'll use _yourself _as bait so I can get away."

Ashley grunted, but didn't retort because, well... she knew he was right. "Just... promise not to leave the car."

"Will do, cap'n!"

Everything was going fine. Ashley was catching up on some z's, while Zach was watching the forest for any signs of his yeti, until he noticed something in the road that worried him...

"Hey... Hey, Ash! Wake up!" He said, elbowing her side. She shot up, pulling a large machete out from under her seat in a tired daze.

"Wha...? Who's it...?" She mumbled.

"Ashley, wake up!" Zach ordered, "Something's not right!" Fear laced his voice and definitely woke her up.

She shook her head as if to clear her head, and looked at the road, only to flinch and cover her eyes.

The headlights of a car swerved across the road and got ever closer to Bumblebee. The realization of what was going to happen hit her. She wouldn't be able to avoid it. It was too late to do anything, and she knew it.

"_Get down!_" Ashley roared as she leaped at Zach and shielded him as best she could from the incoming car.

* * *

**Author's note~**

**Cliffhanger! I was originally gonna keep the next part and this one together, but then that would take me too long to update...  
**

**So, um, let me start this off and say thank you so, so much to all the people who had reviewed, favorited, followed, and read my lame little... whatever it is. I opened up yahoo, and fell out of my chair screaming. God, am I glad no one was home when I did that...  
**

**As always, let me know if I made any mistakes, and thanks for reading. I hope you get a few laughs out reading my goofy little story!  
**

**,_BlueAsh666_  
**


	4. Chapter 4

Ashley groaned as her head lolled to the side. She couldn't feel the left side of her face... she couldn't feel her left arm, either. She opened her eyes, only to wince and shut them again as she reached for her eye. It had felt like a weight had been pressing against her eye, and _god _it had hurt...

She just wanted to lie there and sleep forever... But she knew she couldn't. Not until she was sure Zach was safe.

Knowing better, she only opened her right eye and looked down at Zach. "Hey, are you okay, kiddo?"

He didn't respond. He didn't even stir... and that really worried her.

"Kid," She croaked, lightly shaking his shoulder "Zach, are you alright?"

Seconds ticked by without response, and that only made Ashley more scared. Her heart raced in her chest, and adrenaline pulsed through her veins.

"_Zach_. Please, _please_ talk to me. Or-or just move a little, _anything!"_

"Why do you have a machete under your seat...?" Zach asked weakly. Ashley exhaled and laughed in relief as she crushed him in a hug. Tears pricked her eyes. She had really been scared there, for a moment...

"Dad gave it to me," She answered as she untangled his limbs from the seat belt. Zach hummed in acknowledgement as she picked him up, only to wince and yelp as she yanked his leg out from under the crushed dashboard.

Tears welled in his eyes as he grimaced and curled in on his self. "Ashley," He whimpered, "My leg really hurts... I wanna go home, now."

"I know, kid, I know," She told him softly, "I'm working on it. You just try to stay still for now, and stay awake- I'll get us out of this."

She opened the door and got out. Once she put weight on her leg, pain shot up and she had to hold herself up on the roof of her car. Biting back a groan, she leaned down and held her arms out.

"Alright, kid, let's go" She told him, doing everything she could to keep her voice steady, "We've gotta get you out of there."

Zach nodded and crawled over to her, biting back cries of pain as she lifted him in her arms. He looked at her face, and all but screamed. "Ashley- your face! It's!-"

"I know." She grunted. "It'll be okay."

"I don't think it will..." He said, speaking so quietly that she almost couldn't hear him, even as close as she was.

Ashley staggered a few feet ahead of her car, and glanced back. Her car... was fucked up. The passenger side was completely crushed. The other surviving head light flickered ominously and showed the stream of smoke that was spilling out of the engine. Her windshield had shattered. It was gone. A large portion of it was probably in her arm and face.

"Aw man..." She sighed before turning and continuing ahead, "My car..."

Zach buried his face into the crook of her neck, and Ashley realized with a start that his shoulders were shaking. "I'm sorry," He choked out, "This is my fault."

His statement surprised her so much, she forgot that her leg hurt and walked on it. She yelped and fell to her knee. "_What?! _This isn't your fault!" She protested as she shakily stood back up. "Listen, kid, this had nothing to do with you..."

"Yes it did," he sniffled, "We were only out here because of me, and now your car is broken."

Ashley sighed and set him down. "I don't give a damn about the car... I only care about you."

"But-"

"-Listen, babe... We can discuss who's at fault here, later. I have to see what happened to the other car." She pulled out her phone, silently praying for it to still work. The screen lit up, and she silently cheered before putting it into Zach's hands. "Call someone. Anyone you can get your hands on that'll help us. I'll be right back." She promised. Once he nodded, she staggered and limped over to the side of the road.

Ashley flinched as she saw the sight before her. The car appeared to have rolled down the hill, crashing into and felling multiple trees until coming to a stop at a particularly thick tree, almost a quarter of the way down the hill. A small fire had started near the engine, and she realized with a curse that, _oh damn_, she had to get down there and help them!

Her adrenaline pumped like never before as she limped as fast as she could back to Zach and grabbed the phone from out of his hands. "Hello, who is this?!" She panted, "Make it quick, I've gotta hurry!"

"_Ashley...?"_

Gerad. Of _all_ the people Zach could have called, he called _Gerad_.

"Gerad, listen," she started, "We got in a car accident. I think Zach broke his leg or something, and I'm bleeding, and the other person's car is on fire. You need to come down here, or get someone to come down and help. Stay with Zach, make sure he stays awake- talk to him. Try to keep him calm. I gotta go!" Despite hearing faint protests from the phone, she ignored them and thrust the phone into Zach's hands.

"Listen, babe," Ashley told him, lightly running her thumb across his cheek, "I have to help this person. Their car is on fire, and I need to get them out."

Zach shook his head as more tears welled in his eyes. He started to protest, but Ashley shushed him and kissed the top of his head before hugging him with her good arm.

"I love you," She murmured, "I'll be back before you can say '_where's she gone off to?' _okay? I promise."

Zach shook his head vigorously and grabbed her shirt sleeve. "No, please don't... Ashley, I'm _scared_."

"It's alright to be scared, bud. I'm scared too, but we need to be brave, little man. Just stay in the light-you have my phone, someone's coming; It'll be okay. _You _will be okay. And so will I. Cross my heart and hope to die." She assured him before standing up and staggering back to the side of the road, hugging her hurt arm to her chest.

She started to make her way down the hill, slowly but surely, trying to slip as little as possible and grabbing onto any trees she could get a hold of. She _knew _that if she fell down that hill, she wouldn't be able to get back up.

As she neared the car, she noticed a figure slumped against the wheel from the light of the fire, and cursed. "Oh damn..." She breathed, "That does _not _look good."

When she got to the car, she all but ripped the car door open and dragged the unconscious guy out with her good arm. "You better be glad I'm not leaving you here," she gasped as she struggled to get up the hill, "You hurt my baby, and I have half a mind to leave you here!"

He didn't respond, so she settled with just grumbling to herself. After a few minutes of climbing up the rest of that hill, though, she came to realize just how much everything _hurt_. She was positive she had some glass shards in her face, but she didn't want to reach up and touch to make sure... That would probably just make it worse.

Almost halfway up the hill, she had to stop. She leaned against a tree and gasped for breath.

"You better have a good excuse for having crashed into us like an idiot," she panted, "Because if you don't, I'll drag you from the hospital to this hill, and throw you back down it..."

After a minute or two, though she didn't want to, she knew she needed to get up the _damn _hill. So, she decided to try it a different way, and threw the guy over her shoulder before making her way up.

Carrying him instead of dragging him up the hill _did _help. She could use her good arm to grab an anchor to keep from falling down the hill, now, but it was still hard. Sweat trickled down her face and back, and her legs trembled with silent protest. Her arms throbbed, and her left hand was slick with blood.

It wasn't a fun time. But it was (just barely) doable, and that was all she asked for.

After what felt like weeks, she could see above that damned hill and see Zach, and a familiarly large figure kneeled down in front of him. Zach caught sight of her peeking above the hill.

"Stop! I'm okay, I'm okay- don't help me, help Ashley!" He all but screamed.

She grinned at the young boy before dropping the unconscious man onto the top of the hill and resting her arms on the flat(er) ground and giving her legs a moments rest. And boy, did it feel good... Her right hand was all sweaty, and now that she stopped, her entire body screamed obscenities at her for pushing it to and beyond it's limits.

Finally, she was getting a bit of a break... It was right on time, too. She had been starting to get awfully light-headed, and her thoughts were in a garbled mess. All she cared about at this point was Zach and getting some sleep.

Gerad ran over and got on his knees in front of her with a relieved smile, only to stop and wince at the sight of her face. "Daggon, Ash... Can you even _see _out of your eye?! You look horrible!"

She breathed a laugh. "Not really... And _thanks_, by the way- That's what every girl wants to hear, Gerad. Real confidence booster, aren't you?"

Realizing what he said, he stuttered an apology, only to be cut off by the tired, sore, and _stupidly _happy and relieved girl.

"Don't even worry about it," She told him weakly, "Just please get me off this damn hill before I decide to blow it to smithereens once I'm fit for it..."

He nodded and smiled weakly at her before holding out his hand for her to grab. Her spirits soared, and she couldn't stop grinning like an idiot. She was finally going to go home, and sleep. Dream of sweet nothings and forget about this horrible night- err... morning.

She lifted her arm to grab his hand, only to slide down the dirt and grass a good foot and a half. Her eyes widened as she grabbed the grass with both hands, and she swallowed thickly as she bit down a bit of panic.

"Okay..." She said as calmly as she could, "Let's try this again. We don't want me dying right in front of Zach- that would scar him for life. Plus, I enjoy living. I gotta stay around to help Zach grow up, _stay calm_."

Gerad gulped. "Why don't you grab my arm with _both _your hands...? Just to be sure..."

"I can't..."

"What?"

She grimaced. "I said I fucking _can't!_ I would love to, but just _moving _the son of a bitch hurts like bull doodie!"

"That's not good," Gerad squeaked, nervousness written all over his face as he held out his arm as far as it would go, "Okay... We're just gonna have to be _real _careful... Ready?"

She nodded and tried to place her feet on solid ground so she wouldn't slip. Once she did, she threw her arm to his, and held on as tightly as she could. But... her hand was slippery. Partially from sweat, partially from having wiped blood from her face.

Her hand slid, and she caught a glance of Zach, looking at her with a horrified expression before losing sight of him as she fell.

She tumbled and rolled down the hill, hitting many trees, bumps, and rocks along the way. Thankfully, she hit her head against a particularly large tree, and it knocked her out the rest of the way down, and then some.

How long it was that she was on the bottom of that damned hill, partially covered in leaves... How long it was, her being covered in a blanket of darkness, blissfully unaware of just how injured she was, of just how much pain she should have been in...

All good things must come to an end, unfortunately. She was ripped from her peace, from the sweet, sweet black and thrust into consciousness: a world so excruciating, so horribly painful that just opening her one good eye, the one that wasn't stuck closed from dried blood, made her whimper.

She looked around. There wasn't much around her. Trees. Rocks. Dead leaves littered the ground. She was laying in a small clearing, and the moon shined through the empty branches of the trees. The man on the moon seemed to mock her, smiling at her in all her pain.

At first, she couldn't recall a thing. Not her name, not what state she was in, not why she was there-nothing. But as the seconds dragged on, details, the most important ones, came back to her.

Zach... Where was he?! She could recall that he had been hurt, and she had been, and still was, dearly worried. That was the main thing that came through her clouded and fuzzy mind. Zach. He was hurt. _She _was hurt. And she had promised him something... What had it been?!

That she would be back! That was it! She had gone down a hill to help someone... Who...? It didn't matter. She had gone down, promised Zach she would be back, and things would be okay! She had crossed her heart... She had crossed her heart and hoped to die to him, that things would be okay. And she was lying in a ditch, half covered in leaves, that didn't qualify as okay, now did it?

She needed to get up... She needed to get up, and find Zach.

If only she could remember where he was... Every time she tried to think of where he was, she just got a terrible migraine...

_One thing at a time_, she decided. Focus on one thing at a time. She had to get up, first. If she could do that, at the least, and get some of those damned leaves off of her...

But god, just laying there hurt... The left side of her face throbbed annoyingly, and every throb sent waves of pain to her head. And her arm... Every twitch of a muscle felt like it ripped flesh. Her right arm wasn't too bad, but it was sore. Like she had been carrying around a dead weight for hours...

She couldn't even _feel _her legs. And to be honest with herself, she was quite glad she couldn't. She was worried that if she could feel how bad it hurt-and she was quite positive it was, she would give up hope and lie there in defeat, without even trying. She didn't want to give up... She had made a promise, and _by god _she was going to bloody keep it- or die trying!

"I promised," she croaked to herself, trying to pump herself up enough to get up, "I promised him... I told him that things would be okay, and things are _not _okay if I'm stuck in a ditch! I crossed my heart and hoped to die, so I gotta try! For Zach!"

She moved to get up, but once she moved her left arm, red hot pain exploded all through her left side and arm, and she fell back to the ground as tears welled in her eyes. She tried three more times to get up, and failed every time... Stupid nerves... The pain wouldn't be a problem if her nerves would stop working properly, _damnit!_

"Well, I crossed my heart and hoped to die," She choked out as she futilely dragged herself along the ground with her good arm, "And I'm not sure I can do it... So I guess this is the part where I hope to die. And then die... in lots of pain, in the dark, by myself. But I have to keep trying until the end..."

How long had it been since she made that promise, she wondered... A day? Two? If it _had _been a day, then that meant it was her birthday, she distinctly remembered. Twenty years old... One more year, and she could drink and party like all the other kids that age...

When she stopped and looked around, she realized that she had barely moved from her spot, she gave up. She didn't like to quit, but she wasn't achieving a damn thing...

She looked up at the sky. God, it was beautiful... The moon was bright. Lovely, really. It shined lots of light. Almost as much as a street lamp... And it was cold. Cold enough to see her breath. Easily below freezing temperature, and she was certainly glad for it. She had always preferred the cold, and maybe it would numb her up enough so that her face would stop throbbing so much. The only thing that could have made it better was a bit of...

"Snow..." She said weakly as a half smile crossed her face. Small bits of icy fluff floated from the sky, and landed around and on her... It was beautiful. She breathed a laugh. She guessed that Jack Frost had come through for her, after all...

"Now all I need to see is Zach, to tell him I love him," She mumbled quietly, hoping for a miracle to happen. Deep down, though, she knew she wasn't _nearly _lucky enough, nor did she do enough good in her lifetime for it to happen... But she could still dream...

Seconds turned into minutes, which turned into hours. Her eyelid drooped more and more, until she could barely hold it up.

"I don't want to go..."

Her quiet protest didn't do jack for her, and she was tired... so tired. She figured she had done all she could, so she finally let her eye lid shut.

She didn't care that her own name escaped her. And she could care less about which state she was in. What her house(or had it been an apartment?) looked like... Had she even had a car...?

Bah... She didn't give a fuck...

Darkness surrounded her, but she wasn't scared. She knew there was no reason to fear the dark. All she needed to be scared of was what was _in _the dark. And anything that lay hidden in the shadows couldn't do anything but speed up the inevitable. She wasn't afraid...

She only wished she could have spent more time with her brother...

No, she had nothing to fear...

Her consciousness left her, and all that was left in her mind was darkness. She no longer felt any pain...

Then, white exploded behind her eyelids...

And she was gone.

* * *

**Author's Note~**

**asdfsdfjkha holy nugget in a biscuit! AGH! My heart! It can't take all the positiveness you people are giving my story! GLOB I love you people! Like, I don't even know what to DO, yo. Like, 20 people favorited and followed and reviewed, and it's- I don't even know!**

**Ahem... Okay, I'm good now. Thanks for all the positive stuff about this guys. It's... incredible. I really appreciate it, and I'm glad that people are liking this as much I like writing it. I stretched this one out as much as I could to make up for the really short chapter I put up last time... However, school is rearing it's ugly head once more, and it may take me more than one day to submit a new chapter from this point.  
**

**As always, tell me if I messed up anywhere and how to fix it, por favor. Thanks for taking the time out of your day to read this, and I hope you get a few laughs out of it. **

**... Well, now that I think about it... Maybe you won't get that many laughs out of this bit. It's not a very happy chapter... A person dies, and junk. And it doesn't make a whole lot of sense near the end, since Ashley's kinda losing herself from the loss of blood and stuff, so... I guess all I can say, then, is I hope you don't _hate_ this chapter...?  
**

**,_BlueAsh666_  
**


	5. Chapter 5

Something brought her back.

When Ashley opened her eyes again, it was still night, but there was no telling how many days had passed since. Her head was a bit fuzzy... The most recent memory she had was the car crash and carrying Zach out, but after that she just... drew a blank. Her head was hurting, too, but complaining never did her any good, so she just ignored it.

She blinked a couple of times, and looked around a bit. Then she realized that she was upside down.

"Wha...? Wha's goin' on...?" She mumbled, reaching down (or up, if you want to get technical) towards her feet. She felt herself being turned before coming face to face with, well... Slenderman. Or something that looked _way _too similar to it.

There were indentations where it's eyes were supposed to be, and she could see the curve of where it's nose was supposed to start. No mouth, no ears, no hair. And it was in a black business suit with a red tie. It's long arms hung limp at his side; four tentacle-like limbs that protruded from his back seemed to do all the work for him.

"You're finally awake." It's voice was soft, smooth, and calming. It was the kind of voice that echoed with power, almost like it was talking in an auditorium with a microphone, except it hadn't a microphone- nor were they in an auditorium. Any one, even one stricken with confusion and fear as Ashley was, knew that its voice was one of something _far_ more powerful than any could dream of. One would think that such power would demand respect, and ring with authority, but it did not. The brief thought that it's voice sounded a bit like a _therapist's_, ran through Ashley's head but was quickly forgotten.

It took a few moments of looking at it for it to click, but when it did...

"_SLENDERMAN!_" Ashley screamed in it's face. She must have startled him. It. She. Whatever gender it was... Because it dropped her. Right on the ground. Head first.

She _would _have started swinging at it once she hit the ground, but for one, her head was hurting like hell, and for another, the thing had wrapped one of it's limbs around her legs, so... She was kind of stuck. She gaped up at it's featureless face as it cocked its head to side.

"What is this Slenderman you speak of...?"

She gulped nervously. "Uh... Slenderman is... _you_... Is this the part where you like... Suck out my soul, or make me disappear from all of time and space- or something?"

It-he, she decided it was, laughed softly. If she weren't so freaked out, she would have found his laugh really soothing. "No... I do not partake in such activities. My name is-"

"-Slenderman." She finished for him. He cocked his head to the side and picked her up by her legs, bringing her closer. He appeared to be examining her, but she couldn't tell. No facial anything and all that...

"Strange..." He hummed, "Why he chose _you_, of all humans."

She was still scared of him, but she had to ask, "Uh... Who chose me, exactly? And what did they choose me for, Mr. Slenderman...?" She figured being polite might save her hide for a few more minutes...

"The last one," He answered slowly, like he was contemplating something, "He chose you to replace him, and... I cannot figure out why."

He turned her, and she felt something touch her lower back, and slowly run up it before withdrawing once it reached between her shoulder blades. She shuddered.

"You _are _more physically fit than others at this age, but there are many others that are even more so..."

She tried to intervene. "Um..." He either didn't hear her, or he was ignoring her as he mumbled thoughtfully to himself.

"So young, too," He murmured as he turned her back to face him. "And so... _damaged_. He could have easily found one without so many injuries..."

Another tentacle ran down the side of her face, and she decided to screw being polite. "Hey!" She told him, pushing the limb away, "I do not appreciate being molested by tentacles! Could you be less... _touchy_?"

The spot where his eyebrows should have been drew up. He was surprised. "I had assumed you were frightened of me..."

"Well, yeah, just a little..." She admitted tentatively, "But I'd like to die with a _little _of my dignity left."

One of his eyebrows drew down. "You assume I am to kill you?"

"Yeah." She snorted, "That's what Slendermans... Slendermen... Slenderthings... whatever the plural of Slenderman is, do."

Once again, his laugh filled the air, and he cocked his head to the side. "I am not a Slenderman, whatever that may be. I am a-"

"-Look, dude," Ashley told him matter-of-factly, "I don't really care to know _what_ you are. You are a Slenderman, forever and always to me. I'm calling you Slendy 'till you kill me. _If_ you kill me." At some point in their conversation, Ashley realized that she was no longer scared of him. _Maybe it was his voice_... Maybe she should have been less calm, but... something about him made her relax. She didn't know what the deal was with the Slenderman, but something inside: a long forgotten memory from an ancestor of her ancestors, told her not to worry.

"Very well, Ashley Edgewood."

Well, there goes the whole '_don't worry_' thing... She frowned, "Wait... how do you know my full name...? Have you been stalking me?"

"No, young one," He chuckled, "I am an all knowing entity. I have been around for many eons- since the day man was as he is to this day. Thousands of years I have existed, being witness to every war, and every birth-including yours. I have witnessed countless-"

"Uh... Slendy...?" She asked slowly, "I hate to interrupt you during your big speech, but... Can you... turn me right side up? All the blood is rushing to my head."

His seemed to perk up, like he _just _remembered that. "Oh, yes... You are correct. This is an uncomfortable sensation to humans, I believe." He tossed her up in the air, and caught her around her middle mid-flip.

Ashley yelped. "_Oh-_kay! Let's not make that a common thing, please," She squeaked, "That's too close to flying. I don't like flying, it's a um... _precarious _activity that I would not like to partake in, thank you very much."

Slendy hummed in acknowledgement. "Very well, young one... Now, tell me, _what _is it that makes you so special?"

"Pardon?"

"Something made Vergil choose you as his successor," Slendy explained, "He was _certain_ you are the perfect candidate, but I cannot see _how_, or _why_. I have no choice but to follow Vergil's wishes, but I would like to know _why _before I pass on such a large responsibility..."

"Well, sorry..." She told him, "I have not the slightest clue why..." She paused. "Actually... I don't even know what this oh-so-large responsibility is. Care to clear that up for me?"

"In due time, you will know all you need to," He assured her gently, "But at the moment, we must focus on giving you your powers."

Ashley _tried_ not to freak out, but... she failed. Miserably. "Powers? I'm sorry, but _what?!_ This is a dream." She finally concluded. "This is just a big, messed up dream. I must be in a coma from the car crash, and now I'm stuck in this... this... _This!_Whatever the hell this is!"

"Ah, so you've retained your memories, then? Excellent. It is not common for humans to do so when brought back from the void, but it seems you are special. Or very lucky."

Ashley cocked her head to the side. "Void...? Memories...? Brought back from- Oh shit!" She suddenly yelped, "Zach! Is he okay?! Where is he, what happened?!"

For the first time, Slendy used one of his arms to comfortingly pat her shoulder. "It's alright, young one."

"No it's not!" She protested quickly, "Who _knows_ how long it's been since the crash! I-I gotta find him and show him that I'm okay, and figure out if _he _is okay and-"

"Calm yourself, young one." There was just the _slightest _strain of impatience in his voice. That was enough to shut Ashley up. "Now is not the time for such matters. Are you ready?"

"Not really." She squeaked. "Is this gonna hurt...?" Slendy didn't answer.

He shifted his hold on her and the other three limbs came around and surrounded her. The ways they were positioned reminded Ashley of a cage. And she didn't like it.

She disliked it even more when his limbs started to glow white. "Okay, this isn't something I wanna do!" She told him nervously, voice getting louder with every protest. "I didn't sign up for this! I never agreed to it or anything! _LET ME OUTTA HERE!_"

The light grew so bright that she had to cover eyes, and she heard the crackle of fire. She had _no _idea what was going on, or how to react. She was confused, scared, and she was pretty sure her skin was starting to burn...?

Wait. Her skin was _burning_! All over, every inch of skin felt like it was on fire!

"What are you doing?!" She cried out, "This isn't funny, Slendy! It fucking HURTS-_STOP!_"

The burning continued for a few seconds before it stopped, and she could see that it darkened from behind her eyelids. Slendy dropped her to the ground, and she landed on her hands and knees, out of breath. She still felt a few degrees too hot, but it wasn't intolerable.

"What. The. Hell." She gasped as she took a fist full of snow and rubbed it in her face. "Did you set me on fire or _what_?!"

"Nonsense, I merely gave you your powers. It-"

"It _better_ make me do some cool shit, Slendy!" She barked, "Because that crap hurt, and I better not have gone through that for nothing! _Did _I?!"

He leaned down. "You can shift into a bear, now. Is that '_cool_' enough?"

Ashley froze and gave Slendy a dubious look. "What have you been smokin'...?"

"Nothing," he answered unsurely, "What do you mean by that? That inquiry came out of thin air..."

She rolled her eyes. This was the _stupidest_ dream her brain had ever thought up. _Just roll with it_, she figured. "Forget about it," She sighed before asking disbelievingly, "Any other important details you'd like to tell me? I can shoot lasers out of my eyes...? I can turn into a fish woman...?"

"You do not believe me."

"Not even a little bit," She confirmed bluntly. "This is all a coma-induced dream, I think."

If Slendy could had a mouth to frown with, he would have. "I'm afraid not, young one. You have a very important role to play, now. If you are killed, which is highly unlikely to happen but it _is_ possible, everything will be thrown out of balance. The world will be in chaos for years until another is found to replace you. You are _very _powerful. You just have to reach your full potential."

Ashley groaned. "Can you stop? This sounds like something out of Star Wars!"

Slendy cocked his head to the side. "What...? What is this 'Star Wars' that you speak of?"

She rolled her eyes. "A very long, very confusing movie series," She sighed and rubbed her neck before asking weakly, "What am I supposed to do that's so important, anyways?"

"You are the spirit of courage!" He exclaimed, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"But-I'm not even brave, dude!" She protested, "I'm a freakin' coward! When I play Slender, I have to have a mug of hot cocoa and my older-than-hell kangaroo plush! It's _gray_! With a pink nose!"

Slendy chuckled. "Maybe so, but Vergil was _certain_ that you were the one. You were the only one he's found in almost two hundred years. You _are _the spirit of courage."

Ashley raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, I guess I am... Because of _you_!" She stood up and stabbed his chest with her finger, "I didn't have anything to do with you, or _this_- I just was in a bloody car crash, and... And I... I fell down the hill..." Her voice quieted as she remembered the pain, and the cold. "It was black, and then... then there was a bunch of white, and I can't remember what happened after..."

Her arms fell limply at her sides and she looked up at the half-full moon as the realization struck her. "I was done... I was dead, wasn't I?"

"Yes, young one. You _had _passed. But you're back, now."

Ashley studied him for a moment before turning sharply and pacing.

This was crazy. She was in the middle of a forest talking to _Slenderman_ for goodness sake! He told her that she could turn into a bear, and that she was really important, and she's the spirit of courage or whatever-she's not even a brave person! What has she done in her life that was courageous?! NOTHING. Everything made _no_ sense, and her stupid head was _throbbing_ like a bitch- she really needed a Tylenol or _something_.

Everything was going too fast, and she wasn't sure if she could keep up with it...

"How."

Slendy cocked his head to the side. "How what?"

"How am I alive, if I died?" She asked, finally collapsing into the snow and crossing her legs.

"You have Vergil to thank for that."

Ashley sighed and rested her head in her palm. "Who's Vergil?"

"A great man," Slendy said wistfully, "He had died in the Coliseum, as one of the most popular and skilled gladiators of his time. He's the one who chose you. He is also responsible for your wardrobe change."

She jumped and looked down, only to curse loudly. _How_ had she missed that?! "You changed my clothes!" She cried indignantly, "Dude, 'the _fuck_?!"

Her long sleeved shirt was gone-replaced with a leather cuirass. Her left arm was wrapped in thick cloth and straps of leather, and her shoulder was covered with a shoulder guard unlike any she had seen before. It went up fairly high, protecting her neck and her lower face, and she could just barely see symbols and figures in the metal. She was pretty sure it was made of bronze. A small wooden shield with metal studs was strapped to her forearm. Her other arm was bare, save for a simple leather guard. She had cloth wrapped around her middle, and a thick leather belt over the cloth. She was wearing a completely different pair of jeans, that were tucked into combat boots (that she had never seen before in her life, by the way) that stopped halfway up her shins. She had metal leg guards that started just above her knees and ended just above the combat boots. And it all fit her perfectly...

"You _have_ been stalking me!" She screeched, "Dude, you _liar_!"

"Be at peace, young one," He told her gently, "I did nothing of the sort. You were merged with Vergil's spirit, who was a _Retiarius_. Your clothes were soaked in dried blood and torn, anyhow. I'm sure you would not have appreciated being in the state you were."

She was still narrowing her eyes at him in suspicion, but grunted in response. "Fine... So what do I do, being the spirit of whatever?"

"Just exist," He answered contentedly, "And change the course of fate as you see fit."

She scoffed. "That's it? You could have picked anyone for the job!"

"No, Ashley. Not everyone would be able to handle what you will. You, and only you can do this." He reached behind his back with his two tentacles and pulled out-get this-a bronze trident, and a _net_. He dropped the net on the ground in front of her, and stuck the trident in the ground besides her. "You will need these."

It was starting to feel like Slendy was wrapping things up to an end, to Ashley. "What am I supposed to do with these?!" She asked exasperatedly. "And the net- Am I supposed to just drag it around for the rest of eternity?!"

Slendy sighed. "It seems I was wrong to assume that you were starting to understand things... It's _magic_," He explained slowly, "You will see how it changes... When you need to use it, take it off and just throw it. It will change back."

"Things don't work that way, though!" She protested, "And you still haven't _really _told me anything! I don't understand, how do I use the 'supposed' powers? You never told me- does this come with an instruction manual or something?!"

"You will figure it out," He promised, "And when it has been done once, you should be able to do it again. You will learn."

"But I don't like learning things on the job," she groaned, "And I have _no _idea where I am. What if I can't get out of this damn forest?"

"You will," He said with a tone of finality. "Call for me when you need me. I will know, and I will help you."

Ashley _started _to protest, but she blinked, and Slendy was gone before she could utter a syllable.

She stared at the spot where her slender friend once was as frustration bubbled in her stomach. "_THANKS!_" She yelled at the sky, "YOU DIDN'T HELP ME AT ALL!"

Silence answered her, and she jerked the trident out of the dirt, grumbling obscenities under her breath. Did she _really _ask for a whole lot? She wanted to know what she was supposed to do and how to do that. Is that really such a crime?!

She roughly picked up the silver colored net, only to gasp and nearly drop it as the edges seemed to _melt_ and shift until there was nothing left but a silver ring that had black Celtic designs on it. She wanted to ask what that was, and _how _it happened, but there was no one around to answer her.

Ashley huffed and put the ring on her right thumb. She looked up at the sky. "What did I _do_?!" She asked, hoping for some entity to tell her why she was being punished like this.

Receiving no answer, she sighed and started walking in a random direction. She quickly found that she no longer hurt at all, save for a small migraine. Despite that, she felt better than she had in quite a long time. Her spirits were still low, though, because she was just _so _damn confused...

She had a feeling that tonight was going to be a _long_ night...

* * *

**Author's Note~**

**30 SOMETHING REVIEWS AND FAVORITES AND FOLLOWS. I don't even know how to react anymore! Agh! Thank you everyone! ****The reviews... GLOB I love to read them. They make my insides feel warm and fuzzy. Special thanks to those that reviewed this lame little story. I appreciate you reviewers a lot, as well as all you guys that follow, favorite, and just read in general. Cookies for all of you! **

**Gosh, dude... I'm not gonna lie, I'm starting to get a little _scared,_ now, when I submit the chapters. All these people like it, and I don't wanna screw up on anything... I'm trying my best to make this a some-what decent story. I guess I should tell you guys that I really am trying my best to make this as good as possible. My thought-to-word process is a little messed up, and I don't get all the details I want in, in. But I still think I do an okay job. I _try_ to do an okay job, anyways...  
**

**So, as always, tell me what I did wrong, and if you can, how to fix it. When I edit, I don't read it how it is, I read it how it's _supposed_ to be, if that makes any sense. More interesting things will happen next chapter, I promise. **

**I hope you get a few laughs out of reading this :)  
**

**,_BlueAsh666_  
**


	6. Chapter 6

It was just starting to lighten up when Ashley finally got out of the forest. She walked into an unfamiliar part of town, searching for someone to tell her how to get home. There was a man stumbling around, drinking something out of a paper bag, and she _really _didn't want to talk to him...

But, it appeared that he was her only option... He was a scruffy-looking guy, with cropped hair and sad eyes.

"Hey," she sighed, "Can you help me?"

He didn't answer, so she tried again, a little louder. "Hey dude! Hello? Help. Me. Please."

He still ignored her, and she gave up, waving her arms dismissively. She started to walk away, but paused and looked back. "Y'know, you really should stop drinking," she told him, "It isn't making your problems go away. Only _you _can do that."

The guy froze mid-step and looked down at his bottle. He stared at it for a few moments, contemplatively, before letting it slip out his hands. He watched the liquid run down the street for a minute before turning and stumbling away.

"Oh," Ashley said, partially playing, partially serious, "So you take my advice, but you can't give me the mo-foing time? _Be _that way!"

He didn't reply. Or even acknowledge her, really... She just shrugged it off. He was probably just a druggie, anyways...

Ashley turned a corner and suddenly stopped, dumbfounded. "Dude..." She breathed weakly, legs trembling as she leaned against the brick building, "I have nary a clue as to what the hell that is, but it is _gorgeous_!"

Glowing gold strains of what almost looked like _sand_ drifted in and out of certain windows on the street she was on. They were constantly shifting and repositioning themselves, and strands of gold ran around the... whatever it was. She didn't know what it was, or _how_ she had never seen it before, but _gods _it was beautiful...

She walked over to one of the particularly low strands of... whatever it was. Carefully, she reached out and stopped right before touching it, almost _afraid _to, in fear of making it disappear. She really wished she had a camera...

After a few moments of watching it, though, her curiosity got the best of her, and she let her fingers run through the stream, only to jump back with a grin.

She let out a laugh. The goofy kind of laugh people give when they're trying to contain squeals of excitement. "That... is _amazing_. How is this even possible?!"

A gold dragon with a tiny figure on it's back had burst through the golden light, and was now gliding in circles around her. It reared up and let out a small stream of golden fire as the tiny person waved at her, before flying back into the stream of light.

Ashley briefly considered staying there longer to play with the light, but she knew better. She needed to find Zach, and _damnit, _she would!

Trying to ignore the light, she ducked under it and jogged down the streets. As she jogged on, she realized just _how many_ of those lights there were, and she wondered how in the _hell _had she never seen them before?!

And so she walked on through the neighborhoods, feet crunching in the snow, until she noticed that she was walking on a familiar road. She grinned to herself as she breathed in the crisp air. _Finally_, she knew where she was. And in result, she now knew how to get to Zach!

She whooped before breaking out into a sprint, cutting across backyards and jumping over fences. She didn't _really _need to do that. She could have just as easily ran on the road, but... it just wasn't as fulfilling.

Ashley had been running so fast, she almost ran _right _through her former home's backyard.

Skidding to a stop, she briefly considered going through the back door, like a normal person. Then laughed at herself for thinking such an absurd thought. As pumped as she was? _Hell _no! She's climbing up that tree and jumping in through the window- screw that! Who cares if she can only use one hand because she's gotta keep holding the trident? Not her!

With a running start, she managed to run a few steps up the trunk of the ancient tree that was near the house, and grabbed onto a limb, unable to contain her smile. _How surprised would Zach be_, she wondered. Most likely, he would very well nearly have a heart attack, but once he got over that, he would be ecstatic.

She couldn't _wait!_

Ashley scrambled up the tree like a pro, and made it to the window in record time. She opened up the window and jumped in, doing a ninja roll once her feet touch the ground. Hopping up as quietly as she could, she closed the window and turned to see how his room was with a big grin.

Her beaming face quickly fell into an expression akin to horror.

It looked like a tornado had run through his room... Large black marks ran down the walls, like someone had taken a marker and ran it down the walls in a fit of anger. Clothes were thrown about, papers were everywhere, and his toys were nowhere in sight. Someone must have shoved everything on top his desk and drawers onto the floor. And then she noticed the hooded figure sitting in the corner, and she scowled.

Some _ass _had the audacity to rob her house, and then chill out in her baby's room! Zach could be dead! And if Zach was dead, then so was this guy!

At the thought of Zach being hurt, red filtered her vision, and she stomped over and grabbed the person by their hood, lifting them up clean off the floor. She heard a strangled noise before all but throwing them across the room and into a wall. She allowed the person enough time to straighten themselves before pointing the trident at their throat, inches away from piercing the neck.

It wasn't until the person raised their arms in defeat, did she move the trident a _bit_ farther away from their neck. "What have you _done_?!" She snarled. "If you hurt my baby, I'll fucking stomp you in the goddamn _trachea!_"

"Hey, take it easy, chick," The person choked out, "_I _didn't do this! I-I think you're in the wrong house-this kid's mom is in the other room!"

His answer hadn't been specific enough or eased her any, and she did not appreciate that. Ashley threw the trident to the ground before grabbing them by the neck. "You had better explain," She growled darkly, "And you better do it quickly."

The person grunted as he tried to pry her hands from his neck. "I didn't do anything, I swear!" He cried, "The kid asked me to stay with them until they fell asleep, and I ended up falling asleep, too! That's it, crazy lady!"

She scowled and let him go. Now was as good a time as any to test out her net-ring, she figured, so she slipped it off her thumb and threw it at the hooded figure. The person yelped as they were suddenly ensnared in the silver net, asking strainedly how that just happened.

Ashley ignored him and walked over, pulling back the blanket, only to shakily exhale in relief. Zach was there...

The relief flooded out when she looked again. He looked horrible...

He was pale, and his hair was even messier than usual. His cheeks looked sunk-in. Dark bags were under his eyes, and a few stray cuts with stitches in them were on his face. If his face looked like that, what was his _leg _like? She remembered that it had really been hurting him when she carried him out...

She threw off the blanket, only to fall to her knees, eyes wide in despair.

On his right leg, from the knee down, there was nothing but an empty spot. A stump, covered in bandages.

She reached a shaky hand towards his leg, only to stop and draw her hand back to her chest, face twisted with a series of emotions. She wasn't sure _what _to feel as she tangled her fingers in her hair and pulled.

She had been so preoccupied, she hadn't noticed the hooded person untangle themselves from the net and grab something.

No, not a single thought of the hooded man ran through her head until he spoke. "Wait a sec... _You_... I remember you-you're Ashley! Your Zach's sister! You're the one who gave me hot chocolate!"

Said girl tore her eyes away from Zach's leg, and looked over. The hooded person had pulled down the hood, revealing _way _too pale skin, and... white hair...? She had never seen this person before in her life. He looked a bit younger than her, and his voice didn't quite fit with his face. It was deeper, more mature and experienced than someone's voice should be at that age. She stared at him, and he stared at her. Another thing she noticed, was that he grabbed a stick, and was cautiously holding it out like a weapon...

... He picked up a _stick_, when he could have easily picked up her trident. But he decided it would be smarter to pick up a branch... What an idiot...

"Never seen you before in my life, and you're probably killing your brain cells, putting all that bleach in your hair." She finally sighed before turning back to Zach.

"Damn, babe..." She mumbled, reaching out to try and make his hair a little less messy, only to have her hand _phase through_ his head. Her heart immediately sank into her stomach as she quickly withdrew her hand, cradling it to her chest, wondering _what in the hell just happened?!_

She swallowed thickly and looked over to the boy. "This is a prank, right...?" She asked weakly, "Please tell me this is a prank..."

The boy frowned and opened his mouth, but no sound came out. She turned from him back to Zach, refusing to believe it.

"Zach, baby," She choked out, "Please wake up... Tell me that this is a joke, tell me that this is a hologram- or-or something else of the like that was made in Japan!"

Zach didn't move any, and she tried to put her hand on his shoulder. It went right through. So she tried again. And again. And again. With every time that her hand went through him, her heart just sunk lower and lower.

"_ZACH!_" Ashley finally screamed in desperation as loud as she could, "WAKE THE FUCK UP!"

Zach stayed asleep. He didn't even stir... Her heart fell as low as it could get, and her shoulders slumped as tears welled in her eyes. She wanted to cry. She wanted to scream. She wanted to fall through the floor. But most of all, she wanted Zach to acknowledge her. She didn't care if no one ever saw her or heard her or anything, ever again... if she could just talk to Zach for _five _minutes.

"Come on, babe," She choked out after a few still minutes, "Just... wake up, and look at me. Let me see your lovely green eyes, and I'll be happy. _Please_..."

He didn't react, just as she had feared he would. She almost forgot herself and cried, but she stayed strong in the end. She let out a quiet curse as she sucked those tears back in, swallowing thickly.

"Are you going to be okay...?"

Oh yeah... She had forgotten all about the boy. She sniffled and nodded vigorously. "_Yeah_, I'll be okay. A part of me just died inside, but I'll just push it off to the side for now," She rubbed her eyes and straightened up. "So, you still haven't told me who you are... And you _also_ haven't told me why you're in here. Zach doesn't have any friends that fit you. He would have told me if he had any teenage friends, so... _Explain_."

He frowned. "Hey, it's okay to be a little upset, ya know..."

Ashley gave an unladylike snort. "No, it's not. Being upset is for chicks. I don't do that. What I _am _gonna do, is find the ass who did this to me, and I'm gonna punch them in the trachea."

He tried not to smirk as he leaned on the stick he was holding. "Two things... First, you _are _a chick. And what's up with you and trachey... trach... what-whatever it was you just said."

She couldn't help it... the ends of her mouth twitched up. She felt horrible, yeah, but the way the guy talked reminded her of Zach. "_Tracheas_." She corrected before pausing. "That's just something I've always said. And... I guess you have a point on the chick part. I still don't like acting like one, though. Chicks don't like to climb trees or to throw knives or to snowboard. They like makeup and stupidly-expensive, not to mention _ugly _purses. And that's no fun."

The boy laughed. He tried not to, _really _he did, but he couldn't help himself. "Not all girls are like that, you know."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," She muttered, "I've heard that speech before. So seriously, dude... You'd better have a damn good reason for creeping on my baby."

He grinned and shifted, throwing the stick over his shoulder. "_Come on_, you haven't figured it out yet? I thought you were smart! I'm Jack!" He raised his arms like he was expecting applause. "Jack Frost!"

For a second or two, Ashley was wondering just what this guy was on... But then she made the connection. Zach's imaginary friend was supposedly Jack Frost. This guy was claiming he was Jack Frost. _And he knew about the hot chocolate._

She gave him a dubious look. "You are shitting me."

The supposed winter spirit grinned cheekily in response. "Nope. If I was it would smell a _lot _worse in here."

Ashley had been right. It was a _very_ long night...

* * *

**Author's note~ **

**Aha! Here we are! Some of you have been wondering when in the hell Jack would show up. I originally planned for Ashley to meet him later, but I decided that I could squeeze him in here. If I hadn't, then the whole end of the chapter would have been a lot of sadness and anger, and that would have been the end. So I guess Jack being here sooner was a pretty good thing.**

**So. Some of you people are making guesses and assumptions about things. Some of you are right about them (not saying any names) and some of you aren't. I don't like to spoil things, especially when those things are still being formed in my brain, but... Let me just say this:  
**

**Who said that kids are the only ones who are allowed to have something watch over them? Maybe... just maybe, there's beings out there for everyone else, too, ya dig?  
**

**That's all I have to say on that. Now, as always, tell me if I made any mistakes and _maybe,_ if 'd like to make my job a little easier, where it is so I don't have to search through every chapter to find it. I sure as hell appreciate it. Thanks to the amazing people who favorited, followed, reviewed, and read my story.  
**

**I hope you get a few laughs out of reading this :)  
**

**,_BlueAsh666_**


	7. Chapter 7

"SLENDY!" Ashley screamed in the street, "Get your tall, tentacled ass over here! I want some answers, and _goddamn it all_, I'm gonna get some!"

She was about to scream some more, until a snowball hit her in the back of her head. She exhaled, trying to be patient but kind of failing, and glared over at the not-so-innocent looking boy. He grinned and gave a little wave. "Hey there. Now that I have your attention, I have something to say."

She pinched the bridge of her nose. She _really_ didn't care what he had to say, but against her better judgement, she bit. "Okay, fine... _What_?!"

"You're supposed to be dead," He told her as he strolled closer, "No one found your body, not even _me_. According to Zach, you were really messed up. But you're walking fine. I can see that you got really hurt on your face, which matches the description Zach gave me, but it looks completely healed over..." He finally stopped right in front of her and raised an eyebrow. "You should be _dead_. But you're not."

"Yeah, I know," She said hurriedly as she looked around for any sign of her slenderman, "I'm still trying to work out everything and I will," she said before screaming as loud as she could, "If Slendy ever gets his _WHITE ASS OVER HERE!_"

"I _am _here. What troubles you, young one?"

Jack jumped back, startled, holding the stick out like she would with her trident, "_Woah! _What in the heck are you?!"

Slendy glanced over to the cautious boy and nodded his head once in greeting. "Jack Frost." Slendy turned back to Ashley and leaned down lower. "Is there something you need?"

Ashley spun her trident in her hand as she gave a smile. Not the friendly kind of smile, either. The '_I'm about to fuck your shit up_' kind. "Yeah," She slashed through him, only to have his body turn to mist as the trident went through, as though she were just stabbing fog. "You son of a bitch! You never told me that no one would be able to see me! Do you know how much that messed up my brain, not being able to touch Zach?! Not being able to _apologize_, or hug him, or at the very least- let him know I'm not dead?!"

Slendy's voice turned stern. "Calm yourself, young one. I know you have a temper, but you must learn to control it, or it shall control you. I am sympathetic of your situation, but nonetheless, I will not stand idly by while you attempt to attack me."

"Oh yeah?!" She challenged angrily, "What are you gonna do if I _don't_ stop?! Kill me?! _Please_ do! What do I have worth living for?! My baby is depressed because of _me_. He doesn't have a leg, now, because of _me_. He can't see me, hear me-I can't even touch him! And you know- now that I think about it -no one else can, either, can they?"

Slendy hesitated. "No... No other mortals can see you. Not yet..."

She groaned and tangled her fingers in her hair. "What does that even _mean_?! You either tell me nothing, or you tell me all this riddle mumbo-jumbo crap, and I don't _get_ it! I was never good at riddles, _or _puzzles!" She growled under her breath. "And what am I supposed to do, then, if no one can see me?!"

Jack piped up. "I can see you."

She glanced at the white-haired boy before turning back to Slendy and correcting herself. "What am I supposed to do if no one can see me but that teenage delinquent?!"

"Hey!" Jack protested from behind her, "I heard that!"

Ashley turned back to him. "You were supposed to!" She turned back to Slendy, who was chuckling at them.

"You can do much more than you believe," Slendy told her, "I can assure you that. Have you not noticed anything yet?"

She sighed impatiently. "I... I noticed that I've been getting migraines a lot."

"Not like that, young one, come on... _think_." Slendy urged, "There was a man, remember? The first person you spoke to."

She raised an eyebrow. "The drunk...?"

"Yes. Do you not recall...?" He asked slowly, like he was talking to a baby. "You spoke to him, yes?"

"Yeah..." She nodded slowly, still not seeing the point in what he was trying to say. "I asked him the time, and he... He must have not been able to see or hear me, like Zach couldn't."

"Yes, you asked him for the time... Before you left, you said one more thing... Do you remember...?"

"Yeah. I thought that he should know that drinking wouldn't solve anything, but he still didn't hear..." She trailed off slowly, as a thought hit her. Had she... _influenced _that guy...?

_Nah_, she thought, that would be impossible...

"You are still thinking like a mortal," Slendy told her, "Mortals are very... short-minded. Their minds usually cannot comprehend the possibilities. Your kind used to, long ago, but very few do in this time and age."

Ashley frowned. This whole thing was just so damned confusing... Would she _ever _catch up and learn everything...?

"No, young one, you will never know everything, because _no one _truly knows everything, even if they say otherwise. Even Vergil, your predecessor, was still finding new things that he could do during this age. After thousands of years of existence, there were still things he did not know."

She cocked her head to the side. Slendy sure seemed to like this Vergil guy, and she still had yet to meet him... She _was_ supposed to be mad, but her curiosity beat the anger down. "Am I ever gonna meet this Vergil? You talk about him like he's the _shit_, but you never actually told me about him. Just what he used to be."

Slendy hummed and nodded. "Yes, I do apologize. I have much business all around the world, I'm afraid, and they all demand my attention. Something is coming, I believe."

"Like... free donuts...?" She asked hopefully, ignoring the snicker behind her. She knew that it wasn't, as lovely as that would be, but she didn't want to be told that something bad was coming when she _just _got on the job.

"I am afraid not, young one."

"Damn it..." Ashley muttered under her breath.

Slendy nodded. "Indeed. Something bad is coming."

She cocked her head to the side. "If you're so busy with all this bad stuff, then why do you bother showing up when I call you? I mean, I appreciate it, don't get me wrong, but..." She trailed off. If he was doing all this important stuff, the he should be doing it, instead of helping out a noob to the game...

He nodded once again and lightly patted the top of her head with one of his tentacles. "I understand what it is you are trying to say. I am helping you... I normally do not do this, but this bad thing is coming, and I am afraid that you are going to play a large part of it, young one. I do not want you so unprepared..."

Ashley's shoulders fell as her eye twitched. "So, no one can see me, I just started doing whatever this is, _and_ I'm gonna have to take part in a magical war with fairies and unicorns and junk. _Great..._"

"I did not say that it would be a war..."

"You also didn't say it _wasn't_." She fired back.

Slendy's head jerked back. He stared at her for a few seconds before straightening. "You... You may just fit the bill for this. You have a very short temper, you don't think before you act, and you take unnecessary risks. But you _may _be able to do this."

"_May _be able to?" Ashley scoffed with a smirk, "Slendy, it's as good as done. I got this in the bag..." One might think that she wouldn't say something like that to an ancient, and incredibly powerful entity, but confidence was in her nature.

Ashley started to say something else, but she stopped suddenly, holding up a hand for silence. Something felt... not right. Something bad... something that shouldn't have been there...

For a few long seconds, she couldn't put her finger on it. But then it hit her.

_Zach_.

* * *

If you were to ask anyone else, it would seem like Ashley had disappeared, she was moving so fast. But if you were to ask her, it couldn't have taken longer. She hopped the fence, climbed up the tree and jumped in the window in what felt like years.

She crashed through the window, only to find an enormous creature looming over Zach. She only got to _really_ look at it for a few moments. It's eyes glowed orange, it's whole body was pitch black, and that it kind of looked like a horse or dragon or _something_.

Another thing that she noticed, was that Zach was squirming on his bed with tears leaking out of his eyes, and his face twisted in fear, horror, and just plain heartbreak. She was no genius, but she could tell that whatever that thing was, was doing that to Zach.

Ashley stormed over like a stampeding bull, and grabbed the creature by it's neck. She didn't care that it was a hell of a lot bigger than her, this thing was going _down_. She threw it across the room and into the wall with a _slam_! It tried to scramble up, but Ashley was already there, and she thrust her trident into it's eyes.

Light seemed to explode from where her trident stabbed in, and the white light engulfed the creature until there was little more than a few specks of black sand.

It was over, but she was still furious. "SON OF A BITCH." She roared, "Hurting _my_ baby?! I'll fucking tear you to shreds! You come back and put yourself back together so I can fuck your shit up some more!" She paced around the room, nostrils flaring, looking over at the still silently-crying boy. _Gods_, that killed her. She wanted so badly to wake Zach up and hug him, tell him that she was there and that she would do everything she could to get to the bottom of it-but she _couldn't_.

She looked over at the window and saw Jack Frost, who was wondering what had just partook in the room. She stomped over and gestured to Zach. "Wake him up and hug him."

Mr. Frosty looked over, and his eyebrows drew together in concern. She didn't need to tell _him _twice. He walked over hurriedly and shook the young boy's shoulder. "Hey, c'mon, buddy, wake up!"

Zach shot up, eyes wide with terror as he panted for breath. He took one look at Jack before jumping at him, trying to stifle sobs. A _blind man_ could tell that this Jack guy cared about her brother. She may not _like _him, but she could trust him, if just a little... To make sure that Zach would be okay, at the very least.

However, it still felt like her heart was being ripped to shreds, and she watched the younger boy's shoulders shake. She had never felt so helpless before, and she _could not _stand it. She wanted to scream in frustration and punch holes in the wall, but she held herself back.

"Calm yourself, young one." Slendy's calming voice said from behind her.

Ashley scowled as she shot back, "I do what I want! And I'm not calming down until someone tells me just what the hell that was!"

"That was a fearling."

Jack's head shot up. "_What_?! How?! We got rid of those things two years ago!" When Zach asked who he was talking to, he shushed him gently and told him that it was 'Guardian stuff,' whatever _that _meant...

"Fear is something that always returns," Slendy told the teen grimly.

"Why?!" Ashley shot back, "Why? A better question would be- why is it targeting my brother?!"

"Because of you." He answered, unsaid apologies in his voice.

She frowned and tangled one hand in her hair as she shifted the trident in her other. After a few tense seconds, she turned to him.. "Then... Then just put me out of commission!"

"Wait, wait, wait..." Jack said, waving a hand for her to stop. "Are you saying you want us to kill you...?"

Once Ashley nodded, distant thunder rumbled. "_NO_." Slendy told her, anger lacing his voice, "That would do nothing but make things a thousand times worse. Do not be hasty. You are not thinking clearly in your desperation to help your sibling."

"Shoot yeah, I'm not thinking clearly!" She exclaimed angrily, "There was a giant horse-thing messing with my boy's head! I'll do whatever it takes to fix that! I don't even really want to do this!"

"But you must!"

She gave a humorless laugh as she flexed the fingers in her free hand. How could she do this?! She didn't know how, and Slendy wasn't gonna help her! Yeah, she had thought that this would be easy, but she didn't know that Zach would be involved! That changed everything! What was she supposed to do?!

"Get help."

She sighed and turned to ask _how_, but stopped short. Slendy was gone, and she was left with a sobbing boy and a delinquent teen that she only _just barely _trusted.

She gritted her teeth before shouting to the empty air, "I _would-_but my help sucks balls!" She starting pacing as the white-haired teen watched her.

She didn't know _why_ this Vergil person chose her to do his job. She wasn't particularly clever, or smart. There were _loads_ of people that were stronger, faster, with better endurance. She wasn't important-she worked at a _Game Stop _for god's sake!

"I think," Jack Frost spoke up, "I think I know some other people that could help you. We've fought this guy before, _and _beat him. We can do it again."

Ashley stopped mid step and looked over. "Really...?"

He nodded.

She blinked a few times, weighing out her options. Wander around and hope to get lucky, or get some help from people that actually know what they're doing...?

"What are we waiting for?! Sing that boy a Spanish lullaby and let's get going!"

Jack Frost gave her a bewildered look as he stuttered. "Bu-wh-I-you... Do _what _now?!"

She sighed impatiently. "Sing him a Spanish lullaby so he'll fall back to sleep! I'm not speaking French!"

He looked at her, then down at Zach, then back to her again. "Uh..."

Ashley sighed and slapped her hand to her forehead. This had to be the _longest_ night/morning in history...

* * *

**Author's note~ **

**Now things are gettin' up to speed! I'm in my element, now, guys. Things'll be gettin' good. Or _better_, anyways.  
**

**Thanks to all you guys who favorite, follow, review, and read my story. I really do appreciate it, and coming home to read my email is one of the highlights of my day, now. I'm glad people like this as much as I like writing it :)**

**As always, tell me if I made any mistakes. I tried not to, but I was in such a hurry to get this done so I can get to the next part, I'm pretty sure I made some mistakes in here somewhere.**

**As always, I hope you get a few laughs out of reading this! Except, you probably won't this time, because it's not all that funny... But I hope you like it anyways! Well, I hope you don't _hate_ it, I guess I should say...  
**

**Get ready for some flying phobias, yo!**

**,_BlueAsh666_  
**


	8. Chapter 8

Jack Frost landed on the ground, on a balcony that lead to North's workshop. He glanced down and raised an eyebrow with an amused grin. "You... You can let go, now."

Ashley had her arms wrapped around the teen's chest, holding on so tightly that you'd have to get a chainsaw to get her to let go. She was pale, and her eyes were wide. Scared as she was, she hadn't even heard him.

"Hey," Jack laughed, "We're on the ground now. You can let go." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and smirked. "_Unless_, of course, you don't want to. I promise I don't mind."

That snapped her out of her fear pretty quick. As she jumped back, Jack's lips tugged down a bit. He would never admit it to anyone, but he really _hadn't_ minded... She was really warm, and unlike other people, both human and guardian alike, she _stayed _warm after being in contact with him for a few minutes. And she didn't seem to mind the fact that he was freezing, either. Of course, that could have been because she was frozen with fear the minute their feet were off the ground ...

Ashley dropped to the floor, hugging it as she told it softly, "I'm never leaving you again, baby, I _promise_. Never, ever."

At the sight of her hugging the floor, Jack's smirk quickly came back full force. "You know, for the spirit of bravery of whatever, you're not all that brave."

She glared up at him from the floor. "I never said I was! I'm a coward, dude, I don't know _why _they chose me to do this."

He laughed at her, and she scowled as she picked herself up off the ground. "Yeah, _laugh_. Just like _I_ did at your sorry attempt at a Spanish lullaby! It was pathetic! The only Spanish you sang-_if_ you could call that singing-was '_amigo_' and '_hola!_"

"Well, _excuse _me!" He told her sarcastically as he tried (and failed) to keep a straight face, "I'm not Spanish!"

"Neither am I, but I can still sing a killer Spanish lullaby-unlike a _certain _winter spirit!" She shot back.

The two stared each other down for a bit, before Jack cracked and burst out laughing. Ashley cracked a grin at the teen as he hung onto his stick for support.

"That was the weirdest conversation I've ever had." He chuckled before walking over to the massive doorway. He pulled open the door and waved her inside. "Mind the elves. And anything else that happens to be flying."

Ashley gave him an odd look as she walked past him. Once she got in and took in the sight before her, she dropped her trident in shock. "Pinch me, I'm dreaming..."

She suddenly jumped up with a yelp. Jack strolled by her with a not-so-innocent smirk on his face and she raised her arms in exasperation.

"I didn't want you to _actually _pinch me, Frost!"

He ignored her and his arms out. "Welcome to the North Pole!"

She rolled her eyes and picked up her trident before following the teen. The moment was gone, but she still couldn't stop herself from grinning like a kid in a candy shop as she took in the sights and sounds around her.

There was so much _space_, but things still seemed to be so crowded. Huge creatures that looked like the spawn of a gorilla and a shih-tzu were everywhere. Walking around, painting or fixing toys, and so many more things. Toy planes zoomed past, and confetti fell through the air like flurries of snow. She could hear someone (or some_thing_) jamming on the guitar somewhere, and the gorilla things talking amongst themselves with rough, garbled voices.

She followed Jack, dodging the furry creatures left and right, only to stop as the got near the center of the room. The thing that stopped her? Well... there was no center of the room. It was an empty space, save for the very center, where a spiraling staircase ran up and down, with cranes hanging over the balcony. There were _way_ more floors than she had thought there would be, and just the sheer _size _of it all amazed her.

If she had the choice, she would have stood there all day watching the gorilla dudes do their thing, but Jack had looked back and saw her standing there. He went back and pulled her along by the arm as she gaped at all the sights and whole place was just... _wonderful_. And chaotic. It was wonderfully chaotic.

Jack lead her around until they came to a massive door. He knocked a couple times before opening the door and looking in. He must have seen what he was looking for, because he looked back at Ashley with an anticipative grin and lightly pushed her in before following.

She almost tripped over her feet, but she caught herself and straightened up, shooting Jack a look as she dusted herself off. She looked forwards, only to freeze.

She was in a room that had icicles hanging from the walls, and snow dusting the large table in the center of the room. There was what looked like a train track/roller coaster made of ice on the table, but that wasn't what made her freeze. What made her freeze, was the bloody _enormous _man standing in front of the table.

He was taller than anyone she had ever seen, with a barrel chest and a long white beard that went down to his belt. His forearms were covered in tattoos. If you were to ask her how to describe the man in three words, they would be: larger than life. He was giving Ashley a peculiar look. Which meant he saw her. Which was good...

But he also kind of looked like he could squish her under his boot, which _wasn't _quite so good...

At first, she was just a _tad _bit worried, but then she caught sight of his eyes. They were a warm blue, with a curious twinkle in them. They weren't the eyes of someone she should have been scared of. She relaxed and let Jack lead her over with a hand in her pocket.

"Jack," The huge man said in a distinctive Russian accent, "Who is zhis person you have brought?"

Said winter spirit pushed her forward. "This is Ashley," He introduced, looking over at her. "She needs our help."

"Spirit of courage, at your service." She told him, giving a mock bow.

The man smiled from under his beard and held out his hand. "Call me North. You _may _know me as Santa."

She cracked a grin as she shook his massive hand. "Yeah," She joked, "And I'm the Easter Bunny."

North cocked his head to the side as he released his hand. "This is... joke, yes?"

Jack poked her in the back. "Hey, uh... He's not joking about being Santa."

Ashley scoffed. "Come on, don't be ridiculous, Frost. He can't be Santa... Santa isn't supposed to be real."

"Neither is Jack Frost, but I'm standing right here, aren't I?"

She paused, and looked back up at the massive man. She looked a little harder, only to choke on her saliva when the realization hit her. "Holy crap!" She choked out, "Diana lied to me! Santa's real!"

North raised an eyebrow for a moment, only to jump up with a gasp. "Ashvey! Ashvey Catherine Edgevood!" He beamed as he picked her up by the waist. "My, how you've grown!"

Jack smirked, covering a laugh with a cough as she looked down at North with wide eyes. "Dude! Santa knows my name!"

North gave a hearty laugh as he set her down. "Of course I do! I know all zhe children's names! You vere one of the late ones! You did not stop believing in us until you vere almost sixteen!"

She couldn't help but grin with the excited man as he practically bounced around the room. "Yeah! My dad's girlfriend, Diana, told me you weren't real. She was kind of horrible..."

He nodded and picked her up again with a big smile. "Yes, yes! Right before Christmas! _Look_ at you! _Bozhe moi_, you have gotten so big!" His smile fell a bit as he saw her face. "Vhat happened to you? Vhat has happened to face?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Uh... I got in a car crash...? Y'know, the few people that I can communicate with have been saying stuff about my face. Is it really that bad? It doesn't _feel _all that bad..."

The large man faltered and set her down, clearing his throat. "Is fine. You are still beautiful young lady, not to vorry. So, vhy have you come to me?"

Ashley was a bit suspicious at the sudden topic change, but decided that it would be best to ignore it. "Well, uh... There was this thing. At my house-or my old house, I guess I should say. Slendy said that it was a fearling or something."

North's dark eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Fearling?! Vhat-How?!"

She started to try to explain to North that she didn't know, but by the time she opened her mouth he was almost to the door. She raised an eyebrow to Jack, who only shrugged and motioned for her to follow him.

* * *

They came to a large room with pillars and large tapestries hanging on the walls. North rushed to a balcony and looked at a huge globe with thousands of little lights on it. North looked at it like he was expecting it to explode. After a few tense minutes of observing the globe, he turned to Ashley and frowned.

"Nothing has happened. Pitch is not affecting any children of the vorld. I do not understand..."

Ashley gave a humorless laugh. "You and me both, buddy." She shrugged. "Look, the details are kind of sketchy, right? I don't completely understand everything-that's Slendy's job-but from what I understand, you know how to deal with this Fear problem. Or, at the very least, you know a little more about it than I do."

North stroked his beard and and frowned. "Yes. The cause of it is zhe Nightmare King. I am supposing that he has moved on, yes? To 'greener pastures' as zhey say. Affecting everyone else of zhe world, once again?"

Again, she shrugged. "I guess. Something big is gonna happen, and I'm gonna need your help."

North frowned and gave her a truly apologetic look."Yes, vell... I am very sorry, but... I am afraid I cannot help you."

"_What?!_" Both Ashley and Jack exclaimed. Jack in disbelief, Ashley in desperation and exasperation.

"How can you not help me?!"

"How can you not help her?!"

North sighed. "I vould love to help, truly I would, but I am Guardian. I, and the other Guardians, can only take action when zhere is threat to _children_. You are spirit of courage. You deal vith everyzhing else. I cannot help you."

Jack went on to protest as Ashley continued to stare at North in disbelief as she tried to get her thoughts in order. How could he say that...? He was her only lead, and he shot her down! Because he could only help _children?!_

Jack and North continued to argue, only to stop when one of the gorilla things tapped North on the shoulder and pointed up to the ceiling, where a section of the roof was missing. The moonlight shone in the room, and both of the Guardians silenced themselves.

Ashley didn't know _why_ they stopped, but she was glad they did because she knew what she wanted to say now, and _damn it, _she was gonna say it!

"Do you know what happens, when adults get scared?" Ashley tightened her grip on her trident and slammed it to the ground. "Now I know kids are very important, but I don't think you understand what's gonna happen if this Pitch guy does what he's aiming to. When adults are scared, so are the kids. And you know what else adults do when they get scared? They start wars! Why do you think World War two happened?!"

North opened his mouth to say something, but she cut him off with a scowl. "No! Shut up! You don't get it! Millions of people, which includes kids, by the way, have died because a bunch of people were scared! Do you want that?! If you don't see that as a threat, then you're an idiot!"

Ashley came to realize that insulting such a large man _probably _wasn't the best idea momentarily after saying that, but figured it was too late to do anything. As she waited to be squished under North's boot, she realized that both he and Jack were looking at her peculiarly...

And it kind of freaked her out...

"What?!" She finally asked, "What in the hell are you all gawking at?"

North pointed up at her, then at the moon. She looked up at it, but nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary... She looked around, at herself, then at the moon again before it dawned on her.

"Oh..." She muttered, "_That's_ what you're looking at." The moon was shining light on her. And _just _her.

"That's pretty weird," She said slowly, rubbing the back of her neck, "But wasn't I in the process of attempting to get you to help me...?"

North looked between her and the moon a couple of times before nodding and clapping his hands together. "Right. Let's go."

Ashley furrowed her eyebrows together and cocked her head to the side. "Go...? Go where?"

"To sleigh," North answered simply. "Ve are getting other Guardians to help you."

Oh. That was good... But didn't he just tell her that he couldn't help her...?

She looked at Jack to maybe get some clarity, but he wasn't giving anything away. Finally, she shrugged and wiped off some dust from her pants. "Alrighty then. Let's do it."

* * *

She followed North and Jack into an ice cave that looked like it had been modified into a stable of some kind. She had just taken a few steps ahead of them when two huge wooden doors open, and some huge-ass reindeer came crashing out. Yelping, she jumped back to where Jack and North were.

North was in a big red coat with black fur and a black Russian hat, and Jack was... Well, he was Jack. And he _still _had that stupid stick. She'd have to ask about that, later...

As the reindeer pulled the sleigh out, two thoughts ran through her head. The sleigh was a sexy beast, and the reindeer were bad-ass. She also wondered if North would ever let her ride one...

She had started to ask, but one of the reindeer in the very back started rearing up and going out of control. And then, Ashley did something. Something very stupid.

Ignoring the worried protests of Jack and North, she walked right up to the beast, and put her hand on it's massive shoulder in a piss-poor attempt to calm it. But the thing was... she _did _calm it down. Err, well, she got it to stop freaking out, anyways... Though, maybe not in the way she had wanted it to...

The beast snorted in her face, it's bright brown-almost orange eyes glaring at her, _daring _her to make a move. Well... she dared.

She moved her hand up to it's furry snout, allowing it to smell her. She didn't really know why-that just seemed to be the right thing to do.

As it inhaled her scent, she studied the beast. It was huge, easily surpassing North in height, and rippling with muscle. It was a dark, deep brown, with tan points circling under it's eyes and on it's lower jaw. Tan covered it's spiky mane and dusted it's chest. Another thing that really stuck out to her, was the two long jagged scars that ran across it's snout.

The beast seemed to deem her worthy. Of what, she didn't know, but it bowed its head in respect and closed it's eyes. It-he, she decided after a moment's thought- seemed to almost _purr _as she gently, cautiously stroked his muzzle. The tips of her lips tugged up as North came up behind her.

"Vell... That truly is something," He told her as he put his large hand on her shoulder. "_I _have difficult time getting Aleksei to calm down." He turned back to Jack and chuckled. "Vhere did you find this vone, Jack?"

The teen snorted as he hopped into the back of the sleigh. "Believe me when I tell you that I didn't find her. _She_ found _me_. And nearly killed me, but that's another story..."

North gave a hearty laugh and patted Ashley on the back, nearly breaking all of her ribs in the process. She bit back a grimace of pain and gave a weak smile as she clambered into the back of the sleigh. Once she was seated and North wasn't looking at her, she silently screamed in pain as she reached for her back, curling into herself at the same time.

Jack laughed at her. "Don't worry, you get used to it."

"Really...?" She asked weakly.

"_Nope."_

She let out a groan before looking around. "So how does this work? Do the reindeer pull the sleigh the _whole_ way? Are there rockets...? That would be cool." She leaned forward and poked North. "Hey, the reindeer can't _really _fly, can they?"

The man gave her a smile through his beard that bordered on being manic. "Ve'll find out, von't we?"

She frowned. That wasn't very reassuring... she leaned up to ask what he meant by that, only to be jerked back as North let out a laugh and the sleigh began moving.

It was all fine and dandy. It reminded her of a roller coaster, really. She let out a whoop as they began spinning around the tunnel, throwing her arms up and laughing with North.

"I hope you like the loopty loops!" He called back as he urged the reindeer to go faster.

She cheered. "Damn straight, I do! BOO YEAH!"

They whizzed through, narrowly dodging icicles, and spinning so much that Ashley couldn't tell which side was up anymore. It was probably one of the most dangerous things she had ever done in her life, but _god _it was fun!

A distant light got closer and closer until suddenly the sleigh beneath them trembled as it ran on wooden planks. She glanced over the side, only to have her grin turn upside down in a face of horror. Her cries of joy quickly turned into yells of fear as the reindeer jumped, and suddenly they were in air. She all but hugged the seat, silent and frozen as Jack smirked at her, mischief in mind.

"C'mon, the view's actually quite beautiful if you get up and look at it," He told her as he inched closer to the side of the sleigh, and hung out, pointing to various snow-covered mountains. She glanced over and realized that, _oh shit_, that was really dangerous!

Jack acted like he fell out on accident, and was actually flying _in the air, _when a hand closed around his hood and dragged him back up into the sleigh. It all happened so fast, he didn't have time to react when he found himself being held to the chest of the terrified girl.

She was clutching him to her chest like a five year old would to their teddy bear, and her arms were stiffer than steel and she was nearly as pale as Jack. She sure as _hell _wasn't letting the idiot go and get himself killed!

The thing she had yet to realize, though, was that even if she _hadn't _grabbed him in time, he would have been perfectly safe.

"F-f-fucking idiot!" She stuttered, trying and failing to steady her voice, "Gonna get yourself k-_killed!_"

Jack laughed and relaxed in her arms. "Aww, I _knew _you cared about me!"

She choked out a bunch of nonsense, trying to come up with a good response and failing, so she finally just settled with: "You aren't dying on _my _watch!"

The teen laughed some more as she hyperventilated in the seat and tried to get a hold of herself. She was only _thousands of feet in the air_. What was the danger in that...?

_EVERYTHING_.

"We're gonna die," She gasped to herself, "We're gonna plummet to our deaths and die. I just died, and I'm gonna do it again- We're _dead!_"

"Hey, take it easy, it's all good," Jack tried to tell her between chuckles, "This is safe, honest!"

For a few milliseconds, she almost believed him. Her arms relaxed, just a bit, and she trembled a little less.

But then North pulled out one of his a freaking _snow globe_ and opened a magic portal, or something. They went through it, and it must have been too much for Ashley, because... well, she blacked out.

* * *

**Author's Note~**

**Here we are!  
**

**Well, let me start off with a thanks to all the people who favorited, followed, reviewed, and read. Gosh, I _still_ get excited when I see I have two new emails! Thanks a lot, I'm glad people are liking this as much as I like thinking it up!  
**

**I have a feeling that the next one might take a bit longer than usual, so just a heads up. Wanna take my time and get all the details in, because I kinda feel like I've been rushing myself a bit, as of late. And that's not good... I gotta fix that :\  
**

**As always, tell me if I messed up anywhere! Thanks for reading, and I hope you got a few laughs out of reading my lame little story :)  
**

**,_BlueAsh666_  
**


	9. Chapter 9

"Hey!"

Ashley groaned and turned over in her bed, only to fall off of it. She heard a laugh, and footsteps.

"Come on, get up!"

She grunted and waved her hand in the air. "No, not now, baby... Go drink some warm milk or something, it's sleepy time..."

Another laugh rang through the air, and that was when she realized that it was too deep to be Zach's. She opened her eyes, only to close them again with a wince. "God, dude," She groaned, "Get a _tan! _You're freakin' blinding me, over here!"

She started to fall back asleep, when she got bonked on the head with a stick. _That's it_, she's stabbing this mofo in the eye! She shot up and reached for her trident, only to hit wood. She opened her eyes, to see Jack Frost, the _bastard_, holding both his stick and her trident.

Looking at her feet, she realized that she was in a sleigh.

A sleigh...?

It took her few minutes to remember, but when she did, man, she _leaped_ out of that junk with a yelp. She barrel rolled onto the ground and landed on her back, facing the sky, wondering _where _in the hell she was.

"Where am I..?" She asked groggily.

Jack's head popped into her vision, and she resisted the urge to bop him in the nose as he grinned cheekily at her. "We're in the Warrens."

"Warrens? Warrens of what?"

"Eggs." He answered simply. "A whole lot of eggs."

She raised an eyebrow, but didn't ask. As of late, people have been telling her some crazy stuff, and well... It was usually just as crazy as it sounded. She put her hand on his face and pushed him away before sitting up with a groan.

"This whole thing is just _trippy_," She muttered to herself, "Frickin' trippy." She looked around, only to have her jaw drop.

Jack smirked. "You'll catch flies, if ya keep that up."

Ashley kind of wanted to retort, but she was a little preoccupied...

There was green. Lots of green. And pillars of moss-covered stone. She could hear water nearby, and flowers bloomed everywhere, as well as various mushrooms. Pink, yellow, orange, red, purple, colours that she couldn't even _name_. An almost prehistoric feel was in the air as an ancient yellow light filtered through the trees and hanging flowers.

It was so beautiful, and almost... _familiar_, though she had never even _dreamed _of any place even remotely similar.

Another thing that really caught her eye, was the little bits of color, moving from behind the foliage.

She started to ask what it was, but one of them tripped out of the bushes, and she laughed to herself in disbelief. "No way," She grinned. "Dude, are you kidding me?"

"Nope," Jack chuckled.

She picked herself up off the ground and couldn't stop the goofy grin of her face as she picked up the tiny, colorful egg with legs. It was covered with swirls and other designs. As it nestled into the palm of her hand, she smiled.

"This place is gorgeous," She murmured to herself, hanging onto her trident, "It almost feels... familiar, in a weird way. It feels more like home than any other home I've had..."

"A forest...?" Jack asked teasingly.

Ashley nodded, almost like she was in a daze. "Yeah, it's weird, right?" She breathed, "I don't know, it just... it's almost like I've seen this place, in a dream, or in a dream of a dream..."

Jack raised an eyebrow and was about to ask her what she meant by that, but a large man in gray leaped out of some bushes, boomerangs in hand. He shouted with little patience and a very obvious Australian accent.

"'Ey! What are ya doin', bringin' strangers! I've got delicate cargo in 'ere!"

The gray man? Well, he turned out to be a giant rabbit...? Or a furry in a fursuit. But man, if it was a fursuit, it was realistic as _hell_...

He was tall, probably around six feet, or a bit taller. His gray fur had a tint of purple, with various markings that looked tribal all across his body, and a white face and belly. The fur on his neck was thicker and longer, almost like wolf fur, and his emerald eyes were bright. He had decorative arm bracers tied to his forearms, with small jewels that glittered in the sun. A strap to a backpack of sorts ran across his chest, and bands of leather were wrapped around his feet. Something about him was kind of familiar, but she shrugged it off as being delirious from the sleigh ride.

Ashley and the furry happened to catch each other's eyes, and well, the rest of the world seemed to melt away from the rabbit. He stared at her quite intensely for a while, and it was... pretty awkward, actually. She glanced over to the winter spirit.

"Yo, Frost," She whispered, "What's up with the rabbit furry?"

The teen shrugged bewilderingly. He had never seen the rabbit act like he was. He honestly did not know what his deal was.

The bunny-man-_whatever he was _took a few steps closer and asked in a disbelieving voice. "Do... Do ya know who I am?"

She crossed her arms as she studied him for a few moment, before shaking her head. "Not really. Something about you is kinda familiar, but that could be brain damage from high altitude and junk..."

He stared at her a couple more seconds before nodding and reaching back into his back, and pulling out a weathered piece of paper that was folded up, handing it to her like he was giving her a priceless artifact. She gave the rabbit an odd look before opening it up.

She cocked her head to the side. The paper was a drawing-and not even a good one at that. It was drawn with crayon, and a little faded, but she could still tell what it was. It was a rather sloppy drawing (not that she could do much better, even at twenty years of age) of a little girl with red lines as hair, and brown dots for eyes. The girl was holding hands with what _kind of _looked like a gray kangaroo that was holding a circle or something. Some chicken scratch was on the bottom of the paper, but she didn't bother reading it. It would have taken too long.

She looked from the picture, to the furry, then back to the picture, and back to the furry again. As she looked at the picture another time, she realized that it looked familiar. _Too _familiar...

She quickly brought it closer to her face to inspect it, eyes narrowed in concentration.

Ashley gasped and glared at the bunny over the picture. "Did you steal this out of my kiddie box, you bitch?!" She accused angrily. "_No _one steals from my kiddie box and gets away with it!"

The rabbit's deep laugh filled the air. "Hardly," He told her, "Ya gave it me. As a _gift_."

She looked back at the picture, at the shitty writing. It took her a minute to sound it out and figure out all the words and letters, but with a jolt, she realized that it said: 'To Bunnymund, love ashly.'

Bunnymund. Bunnymund... Why did that name sound so familiar?

She jumped eight feet in the air when she remembered. "You!" She exclaimed, "Bunnymund was... He was my imaginary friend!"

Bunnymund grinned with delight as he watched her bounce in place. "'Cept I'm not so imaginary, eh, ya little ankle biter? And I guess you're not quite an ankle biter anymore, are ya?"

She covered her mouth, eyes wide. "You're real! Holy crap! This is... woah!"

"Yea', I'm the dinky-di, Sheila!" He told her as he beamed, holding his arms out for a hug, "C'mere, ya bewdy!"

Now, normally she would try to contain herself, _just _a little. But you have to give her a bit of a break... This was her (previously thought to be) imaginary friend! It was like a fog had lifted, and she could suddenly remember playing hide and seek with the rabbit/kangaroo during the spring. Suddenly she could remember talking to the large rabbit about how some kids had pushed her in Elementary school and declared to fight her the next day, and him teaching her how to defend herself while insulting the bullies with terms that she didn't understand.

She jumped into his arms, and he lifted her up, spinning her around with a laugh. He set her down and beamed at the just-as-excited girl.

"Aren't you a sight for sore eyes!" He laughed, "I haven't seen ya in a donkey's years!"

She grinned. "And you still say all those Australian things that make _no _sense! God, how did I forget about you?!"

His smile fell a bit and he sighed as he messed up her already messy hair. "Unfortunately, it'sa part of growin' up."

"Well it sucks!" She scoffed.

He nodded and hummed. "It's true blue, sheila." He faltered and shook his head, clearing it. "But I'm gettin' ahead of myself. What are ya doin' 'ere? Actually... How'd ya even get 'ere in the first place? And what happened to your face?!"

"Is long story," North said, coming out from nowhere, making Ashley and Jack jump in surprise. "Ve'll explain, but not here. I apologize for barging, but ve must try to hurry. Christmas is coming around corner, and I vant to try to end this soon as possible."

Bunnymund frowned. "What? I can't jus' _leave_, I got-"

"_Ashley_."

Said girl jumped up and lashed back with a yelp of surprise and fear, only to find Slendy. The bastard...

"What?!" She groaned, "Why do you keep stalking me, Slendy?" She heard North and Bunny gasp from behind her, but ignored it. "What do you want? I'm busy, man! Doin' what you _told _me to do!"

"Yes, I see that," Slendy hummed, "And please, do not bow to me."

She raised an eyebrow. "But I'm not... I don't bow to no one, unless they deserve it."

Slendy chuckled and nodded his featureless face. "Not you, young one. I was speaking to Bunnymund and North."

She looked back to see the large bunny and even _larger _man on their knees, with their heads bowed respectively while Jack gave them an amused smirk. Rolling her eyes, she turned back to Slendy.

"So what's up?"

If Slendy could have frowned, he would have. "Nothing good, I am afraid. The Fear is overwhelming the spirits of the mortal world. We have done our best to keep the fight away from you, but I fear that the Nightmare King is going to aim for you, soon."

"Oh." Ashley said slowly with a frown. "That's... really, really not good... Wait-You've been keeping the fight away from me?!"

"Yes," Slendy hummed, "To give you time to adjust and learn. If you are gone, then the Nightmare King will easily be able to control the world. I am sending you some... some allies. To help ensure your safety. So long as you continue to exist, we still have a fighting chance."

"Allies?" She asked, insulted, "To protect me? _Me?! _I don't need anyone to protect me! I'm a one-man army!" She ignored Jack's scoff behind her.

"Yes, young one, I know." Slendy said gently, "You are strong. But you have yet to learn your powers, and without them, you are far more vulnerable than you would be with them."

"So just show me how to use them!" She protested.

"It does not work that way." He told her regretfully. "I would if I could... This is all I can do for you."

"Are ve not suitable enough protection for Ashvey?" North asked, trying to hide the fact that he was insulted, "Ve are strong. Ve can protect her just as much as any of your... leetle allies."

"True blue," Bunnymund voiced, hopping over and placing a furry paw on Ashley's shoulder. "Give us a fair crack of the whip, eh? We can do it."

Slendy cocked his head to the side, his voice ringing out amusedly, "I have no doubt that you fully capable. But you are unable to always be with her. At the very least, allow me to send _one _of the spirits of the world...?"

Ashley huffed and crossed her arms, stubbornly pouting. "I don't need protection..."

"I know you don't," Slendy assured her, leaning down so that his face was almost level to hers. "But it would make me feel _much _better."

She gave a long sigh, and _really _dragged it out, but grumbled quietly, "I guess... But you had better not stick me with another teenage delinquent..."

"Hey!" Jack protested loudly.

Slendy laughed. "I will try. I will not promise anything, but I will try. Thank you..."

"Yeah, whatever..." She grunted, kicking the ground. When she looked up, Slendy was gone, and she scoffed. "Would a goodbye ever hurt you?!" She asked the empty air. Getting no reply, she glanced over at everyone else. Bunny and North were staring ahead of her at the spot where Slendy had been, shocked expressions on their faces. Jack Frost and her seemed to be the only ones who were mostly indifferent.

"So... Are we gonna go...? Is Bunny coming, or going...?" She asked unsurely. Jack shrugged. He had no idea.

Bunnymund snapped out of his shock and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Oh, I'm goin'." He told her. "There's no way I'm lettin' that dingbat of a Nightmare King hurt my gal."

Jack gave a groan that ended with a laugh. "Oh no, not the kangaroo..."

Said kangaroo scoffed. "Oh, shove off, ya bloody hoon!" It was harsh, but the small smile on his muzzle proved his word was not serious, and Jack laughed.

"Not even in your dreams!"

Bunny started to retort, but North cut in. "Ve have no time for zhis! Get in zhe the sleigh!"

Ashley's face fell, and she laughed nervously, slowly backing away. "Haha, yeah, uhm... I'll just... I'm just gonna walk."

Bunny tried to act nonchalant as he backed away as well. "Yeah', mate. It'd be faster to just go through my tunnels. She'll be right, yeah?" North and Jack shared a look and smirked at each other, while Bunnymund and Ashley shared one as well. They knew what those smirks meant...

They meant _run_.

They weren't fast enough. North picked Bunny up by the scruff of his neck, while Jack picked a shocked Ashley up and threw her over his shoulder.

Ashley caught her bearings, and began thrashing about. "_Frost!"_ She yelped loudly, "Put me down right now, or I _swear _I'll poke three holes in your skinny, pale ass!"

Jack laughed as he used the wind to boost himself up into the sleigh dropping her onto the bench and sitting on her back while North dropped Bunny in besides them, hopping in the front and grabbing the reins.

"Here ve go!"

"Nooo!" Ashley cried out, pushing herself up with her arms, with Jack still on her back, ignoring his cries of, '_woah, you're strong!' _as Bunny cried out with her. "I don't wanna do this-Let me off!"

North laughed as the reindeer took a running start and leapt into the air. "Too late!"

Ashley quickly fell back onto the bench, hugging it for dear life, Jack still using her as a chair. "This is a horrible time!" She yelped. Bunny screamed in agreement as he dug his nails into the wood.

* * *

Finally, Ashley was almost not completely terrified for her life. Bunnymund, however, wasn't faring quite as well as she was. He was still sitting in the very corner, both arms grabbing onto the sleigh with wide eyes. Now, she wasn't much better, but still... She could _almost _relax a little. Just a little... Enough to peek over the sides of the sleigh and see the sights, anyways. No way she was missing out on seeing the world.

They were nearing San Francisco, searching for the _Tooth Fairy_, of all people. North had mentioned her being 'in the field' or something. It was foggy, but she could still see the lights of the city, faint as they were. It must have been four or five in the morning.

They had just gotten over the Golden Gate Bridge, when all the sudden her chest began tightening, almost like she was having a heart attack. _God _it hurt, and she grimaced as she clutched her chest. Jack noticed, and frowned.

"You okay?" The winter spirit asked concernedly.

She shook her head and winced as another wave of pain bounced around in her chest. "No," She choked out, "I gotta... I... _Argh!_"

Bunnymund looked over and drew his eyebrows together in concern. "North!" He yelled over the wind. "Ashley's got somethin' goin' on! You gotta- _What are you doin'?!_"

Ashley had stood up on the wooden bench. She didn't know why, but everything in her was screaming that she had to get off, and she had to get off _now_. She grabbed her trident, dropped over the side and into the air.

She briefly heard shouts coming from the sleigh before all she heard was the sound of the air passing. She reached out and grabbed one of the huge wires hanging up and tried to slow down her fall, with her one free hand. It hurt, and burned the _shit_ out of her hand, but she slowed herself down enough so that she wouldn't become a splat on the bridge when she landed. She _hoped _so, anyways...

She threw herself from the metal rope, landing on the asphalt...

Right on her buttocks...

"Agh, my ass!" She yelled, falling over onto her side, reaching for her cheeks. Not the ones on her face, though...

She had wanted to lie there in pain longer, really she did. But her gut was shouting, spitting, and cursing at her to get up and start running...

Boy, did she wish that she could have stayed there in the fetal position, as she started running down, limping and cursing every time her ass moved. Which happened with every step she took.

As she was running, she realized something.

There were three fearlings on the bridge, surrounding a man who was crouched down in a fetal position on the sidewalk. She forgot about her arse and let out a battle cry before hopping over the rail that guarded the sidewalk.

She tackled into the nearest fearling, knocking it to the ground before turning to another one and bashing it in it's face with her shield. It was small, but _boy_ did it come in handy... The fearling's face exploded with white light, before being engulfed in the light. She gave a wild grin and turned to the other two, which looked _pissed_, by the way.

"_Oh_," She said, feigning surprise, "Are you angry that I killed your buddy?" She dropped the act and narrowed her eyes. "Well, _I'm _angry that you're messing with this guy! And you won't like me when I'm angry..."

The one on her right side snorted and pawed at the ground before charging at her. She dodged to the left, holding out the trident. A white light ran through it's side as it passed her, and it was gone before it even fell to the ground. She growled before turning to the last one, that was starting to look nervous.

Ashley scoffed. "Oh, getting scared, are we?" She sniffed, wiping her nose with her thumb. "Well, _too bad_. You got me started, and I'm gonna _fuck your shit up!_"

It started to back up, only to stop suddenly, it's glowing eyes as wide as they could go. It looked down, to see a trident in it's chest, before being engulfed in a flash of white light.

She grunted and limped over (her butt still hurt), picking up her trident and looking at the man on the sidewalk.

Turns out, he wasn't a man. He was a teen. A boy. Sixteen, maybe seventeen years old. He had shortly cropped blonde hair, and dark shadows under his sad, sad eyes.

"Hey, buddy," She told him, "You look tired. Those things won't bother you any more. Why don'tcha go and sleep?"

The boy sniffled and dragged himself to his feet, only to rest his arms on the railing. That struck Ashley as a little odd, but she shrugged it off as him recovering from what was probably a mental breakdown.

But then... He got this look in his eyes. It was a dark look, filled with finalization. It wasn't one she liked... The boy started to move, slowly, deliberate movements that was filled with thought every inch he moved. As he started to lift his legs over the railing that led to the edge of the bridge, it occurred to Ashley just what he was going to do.

"NO!" She yelped, lunging for him, trying to grab him, only to have her arms phase through. She snarled in frustration. "No! No, no, _no!_You aren't dying on me! Not on my watch!"

However, with every lunge for the boy, she passed right through him, and her frustration and despair grew. She couldn't let him do this... She couldn't! He had so much to live for!

He was sitting on the railing, watching the water with an almost peaceful look. Ashley's eyes welled up with unshed tears as her limbs started shaking. She was still trying to grab him, but she _couldn't_. Why couldn't she fucking touch him?!

Just as he started to slip from the rail, she snarled and leapt at him, in a final, desperate attempt. But this time was different. She _grabbed _him. She tackled him off of the rail and onto the sidewalk as she threw her trident off to the side, holding him down with her knees. However, she had no time nor thought for celebration...

"No!" The boy cried out, voice filled with heartbreak, "Please, no! I _finally _gathered up the courage to do this!"

_That _killed a part of her. "Never say that again!" She roared, "What in the hell are you doing?! I'm not letting you do this!"

She felt him tremble underneath her as he shook his head vigorously. "Please," He begged, "I'm just a stranger, I don't matter!"

"No, you _do _matter!" She yelled, "You matter to me! If you jump, I'm jumping after you!"

The boy's lip wobbled, and his eyes filled with tears. "You don't know me..." He protested weakly as she let him sit up, ready to drag him down to the ground if he tried to get up again.

"But I still care." She said stubbornly. "Why would you want to kill yourself...? That's a permanent solution to a temporary problem..."

He started crying. Ashley could see that he was trying his hardest not to, but his face twisted into a grimace as big, fat tears fell down his face. She didn't know him, but she knew he needed a hug. So that's what she did.

He buried his face into her right shoulder, as his own shoulders shook, and she shushed him gently. "I'm worthless," the boy choked into her shoulder, "I'll never amount to anything-everyone agrees with me, so please, just..." He couldn't continue.

Ashley frowned as she hugged the boy. "Who gives a damn what they say?! You're not worthless!"

"Yes I am..."

She frowned and pushed him back a bit, grabbing his face between her hands. "No, you are _not._" She said sternly before telling him softly, "You've got a whole life ahead of you. Why are you trying to waste it?

"It's already wasted-wasted on a poor excuse for a human being!"

"Hush now," She told him, "Who told you this?"

"Pretty much everyone at school," He mumbled.

Ashley's frown grew. "And you listened?" The boy nodded, and she sighed as she leaned closer, resting her forehead against his. "No, no, _no_-you shouldn't listen to them!"

"But they're right! I'm a screw up!" He protested.

"No-"

"-I am! All I do is mess up! Even my friend agree..."

She lightly headbutted him. "Then they're not your friends."

"But-"

"-Hush now, darlin'," she murmured, "And listen to me. It's okay if you make mistakes. The people that matter won't mind, and the people that mind don't matter."

He sniffled as she ran her thumb across his cheek, wiping away one of the streams of tears. "Why do you care?" He choked out, "You're just a stranger, you don't know me..."

"Neither do the kids at your school." She reminded him. "_I_ think your gonna do great things, kid. You just gotta believe it, too."

"How can I when no one believes in me...? Even _I _don't believe in me..."

"_I_ do." She told him firmly. "So, so much. You're gonna do some _damn _good things for this world, babe..."

His eyes were still sad, but the very edges of his mouth turned up. "No one's ever believed in me before..."

"So I was told," She told him with a small smile, "Well, I guess that's changed now, hasn't it?"

"Yeah," they boy breathed, burying his face into her shoulder once again, "I guess so..."

She nodded. "Yeah... So you promise not to go through with this...?"

The boy went quiet, and Ashley frowned. She knew the boy was probably going through some really hard times, but she wanted to make _sure_ that he wouldn't try to kill himself again. She didn't feel completely reassured yet. "Isn't there _anyone _who cares about you...?"

The boy shook his head.

"Come on, now," She told him gently, "I refuse to believe that... _Think_. There's gotta be someone out there..."

He was quiet for a long time, before mumbling into her shoulder. "There... There is this one girl... She sits by me on the bus... She's little. Seven, I think... She goes around telling everyone I'm her brother."

"Yeah, I'll bet she loves you a lot, huh?"

He nodded.

"Well, can you imagine how sad she would be, if you went and left her all alone?"

"Very..." He mumbled with a sniffle.

She nodded and began rubbing his back. "Yeah, now take that, and multiply it by a couple hundred _thousand _if you killed yourself. And you may not believe it, but all those people that tell you those lies will be depressed, too. They'll all blame themselves, and your parents... There will be a million 'what if's' for every single person who knew you. And that includes me..."

"Why do you care so much?" He finally asked weakly.

"Because," She answered, "Because... I just _do._ I don't want you to end it all before you even had a chance to _really_ start living. I'm... I'm never gonna really be able to grow up," She told him quietly, "I want you to get the chance to see how amazing the world is. And it _is_... It really is... You don't know how beautiful life is, and I want you to."

The boy went still. He wanted to ask what she meant by that, but decided not to, settling with a soft, "I'm sorry..."

"S'okay." She sighed, "So now, I want you to promise me... I want you to promise you won't try this again-and I want you to _mean _it. Please..."

He lifted his head and looked into her eyes. She had the eyes of an old woman, a person who had done their time, and she looked exhausted... As tired as she looked, though, he could see that she _really _did care. It was funny... a stranger caring so much for him, despite barely knowing him. It moved him, that such a caring person was going to (so he thought) die, at the peak of her life. She couldn't have been much older than twenty five...

He gave a shaky breath, and nodded. "I... I promise. I promise I won't try to kill myself."

"Ever?"

"Ever." He confirmed.

Ashley smiled at him. "Good. Now, you go on home, get some rest."

The boy nodded as she stood up, pulling him up with her. "I... I will." He turned, and started running down the street, feeling better than he had for quite a long time. He didn't get far, however, before she called to him.

"Hey! What's your name?" She asked, "In a few years, when you're all over the news and on the huge screens of Broadway, I wanna be able to turn to people and tell them I met you!"

The boy gave a smile. A real, genuine smile with a touch of shyness. "Charlie Thickett!" He told her.

She said it under her breath a few times, testing out how it sounded in her mouth before grinning back at him. "Well, Charlie Thickett, I bid you adieu... and I'm lookin' forward to seeing you on the TV! Don't keep me waiting too long!"

His smile grew, and he waved once before running into the fog, heading home.

When Ashley could no longer see him, she picked up her trident and placed a hand in her pocket, still staring in the direction Charlie had took off in. She felt good... _Really _good. Her chest and head had finally stopped hurting, too.

She stood there a bit before a hand grabbed her shoulder, and she jumped up with a yelp. "Gah-fuck!"

She looked back to see a familiar, usually mischievous teen standing right behind her. Except, he didn't look all that mischievous, at the moment.

"That..." Jack said slowly, "That was a really nice thing you did..."

Her face got a bit warmer. She wasn't entirely sure _why_, but it did, and she rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. "Was nothin'..." She mumbled.

"It wasn't nothin' to _him_," Bunny told her, pride in his voice. "Ya grew up right, Ash. I'm glad I got to help it go along."

North beamed at her and nodded. "Is true. However, try to stop jumping out sleigh, yes? You gave us a scare."

Ashley gave a sheepish grin and nodded. "Yeah, I know, I'm sorry."

North nodded and started to gesture to the sleigh, when an unfamiliar voice rang out from behind her. "Why are you apologizing? You saved a life!"

She jerked back and looked over, to see a man sitting on the rail that Charlie had almost jumped from.

The guy must've been in his early thirties. Ginger hair that was pushed back, freckles all over his face and arms, and a bow in hand. He was in a black tank top with jeans and flip flops. A leather strap went across his torso, and she could see arrows sticking up from behind his back, so he must have had a quiver of arrows. He had a red sweatband on each arm. His aura screamed _confidence_.

Ashley's shoulder sunk, and she groaned. "Please tell me you're not the guy Slendy was talking about..."

The man grinned. "I _could_, but... That would be a lie."

She sighed. Why was the whole world against her...? She asked to not get a teenage delinquent, so what did she get...?

_Him_, of all people...

_Perfect_.

* * *

**Author's Note~**

**Here we go! New character, woo! Or, not woo...? I dunno...  
**

**Anyways, thanks to all the people who review, favorite, follow, and read. I love you guys, yo! Reading my emails really do make my days better, so big thank you to you guys! Especially since I've been ill lately, _and it won't go away_.  
**

**Tell me if I made any mistakes, please. I'd 'preciate it. As always, I hope you get a few smiles out of reading :)  
**

**,_BlueAsh666_**


	10. Chapter 10

Ashley gave a loud groan. "Are you kidding me?!"

The ginger man smirked, resting his arm on his leg as he held his head in his hand. "Nope."

She looked up at the sky, raising her arms. "Why do you hate me?!" She asked loudly. When she received no answer, she groaned and looked at the ginger. "Okay, fine, fine, you wanna help me out? Go away- check on my little bro, Zach for me. He's at my old house, in the room that's facing the big tree in the backyard. Keep him safe."

Ginger held up his arms defensively with that same, shit-eating grin. "Hey, come on now, what's with all the unnecessary hate? You don't even know me!"

"DON'T FUCKING LIE." She shot back, pointing at him. "You've been stalking me since I was sixteen! Trying to shoot me with your stupid bow! You're _worse _than a delinquent, you're a freaking attempted murderer!"

"I was _not _trying to shoot you-"

"YES YOU WERE!" She all but yelled. He must've thought that she was a complete idiot, or something!

Ginger laughed. "Okay, _maybe _I was. But I was only to trying to help you..."

"BY KILLING ME?!" She screamed exasperatedly, making various hand gestures. Some of which were very... rude.

"I wasn't trying to _kill_ you, I was just trying to _get _you." The ginger defended.

Jack, North, and Bunny all stepped forward when they heard that, and they did _not _look happy. As a matter of fact, they almost looked as unhappy as Ashley was. Which was a hell of a lot...

"_Vhat?!_" North roared, "You have tried to harm our Ashvey?! You must go! Ve do not vant you!" North picked her up, much to her surprise, and placed her on one of his massive shoulders before pulling out one of his swords. She knew she was supposed to be _mad_, but the fact that North was Santa, and he had swords was just... _amazing_.

"Santa has _swords_," Ashley said to herself slowly, "That is so awesome..."

"Well, you're stuck with me," The ginger said with a smirk, "I volunteered to protect her, and that's what I'm gonna do."

"Shove off, ya bloody clacker!" Bunny said darkly. "Don't come a gutser and try to hang about, or you'll regret it."

Jack nodded and glared daggers at the older man. "It'd be best if you left. Forever."

The ginger still had that stupid smirk on his face and he stood up. "Maybe it'd clear some things up if I introduced myself. I'm Eros, the spirit of love. Basically, I'm cupid."

"So you were trying to make me fall in love, you bitch?!" She asked angrily, eye twitching. Maybe that wasn't as bad as trying to kill her, but it still pissed her off. She would be in the middle of a store, just hanging with a bro, when all of the sudden, she would see the flash of ginger hair and a golden arrow before ducking and rolling to avoid getting hit! No one else ever seemed to notice the bright and shiny golden arrow sticking out of the wall, so people had thought, and _still _think that she's a nut job!

"What's wrong with love?!" Eros defended.

"Love is for the _weak!_" She scowled. "I don't do that crap! _And _you made people think I'm flipping nuts!"

Eros laughed and leaned against the rail. "People already think that, remember? And you only say that because you haven't experienced love, yet! But you will, I promise you will... You've managed to evade me for some years, but I'll getcha. One way, or another..."

She gave the ginger an unamused look and hopped down from North's shoulder before walking towards him, trident ready to pierce. "Is that a threat...? You threatening me, boy? You wanna go?!"

"How cute," Eros chuckled. He sat up and leaned closer with a smirk. "Depends on where we're goin', sweetheart... My place, or yours?"

Yeah, uh... Ashley isn't always the _brightest_ penny in the purse... She didn't understand what he had meant by that, and she faltered, cocking her head to the side. "Wait, _what_...?"

His smirk grew. "I'm asking you where you wanna have sex."

Everyone around her froze in shock. Her face turned bright red, and she held out her trident like she was staving off a killer beast as she quickly backed away. She _kind_ of wanted to ask what in the _hell_ was wrong with him, but she didn't. And as it turns out, she didn't need to. Of all the people who had her back, she was _not _expecting Jack Frost.

"What's _wrong_ with you?!" The winter spirit asked angrily, "You don't just _say_ stuff like that! Would you just go away?!" He looked over at the dumbstruck Ashley and put his hand on her shoulder. "You want someone to check on Zach? _I'll _do it. I was starting to worry about him, anyways."

She started to nod, only to stop suddenly and shake her head. "Wait, no, I'll do it. I _should _be able to get him to see me, and all the other things, and I want to do that. Thanks, though."

"I can take you." Eros jumped up, hanging his bow over his shoulder with an excited grin. When he was balanced, wings shot out of his back. Everyone froze at the sight of the huge wings. They were the same colour as his hair, and about ten to fifteen feet wide. And _god_, Ashley wanted to touch them...

She had started to reach out towards his wings, almost in a daze, but remembered who this was and quickly withdrew her hand, shaking her head vigorously.

"Fuck you." She said simply. "You're wings are cool, but you aren't. I hope you have a terrible day." She gave a mock bow before turning to the Guardians. "I'm gonna go check on Zach. You guys go on ahead without me. I... I'd like to have a bit of time and try to figure all this crap out... _Well_, really it's mainly just that I want to go see Zach, but I want that other thing, too."

"That's going to take you days if you walk," Eros reasoned, "Let me fly you there. It won't take long."

Ashley narrowed her eyes and opened her mouth to tell him to screw off, but Jack beat her to the punch.

"Uh, _no_." Jack told him sourly, "If anything, _I'll _fly her there."

The ginger raised an eyebrow to the teen's challenge, but stopped, only to get a big grin. "Oooh, _protective_, are we..?" He chuckled and nodded. "Well, good. She's gonna need that when things come to the worst. Makes my job easier, too... But I think it would be best if _I _took her. Gotta earn her trust and what not."

She deadpanned at the ginger. "Bitch, shut up. You lost all chances of that happening when you shot at my face."

He grinned at her. "But I can get it back..."

"_No_," She said slowly, like she was talking to a baby, "You can't. Now, I'm gonna go. And you're gonna stay. Right there..."

She started to walk away, but Eros, the _bastard_, blocked her way with one of her wings. The more he kept her from getting to her baby, the more frustrated and exasperated she got. "Just let me take you." The ginger told her.

She inhaled deeply, praying for whatever mysterious entity up there for patience before tangling her fingers in her hair and tugging. "You're stubborn, I'll give you that..."

Jack rolled his eyes and gave the ginger man a look. "How about, instead of bugging her, you let her decide what she wants to do for herself...?"

Eros nodded and clapped his hands together. "You're quite right." He turned to Ashley. "Would you want _me,_or the kid to take you?"

Jack protested as Ashley gave the winged-man a blank look. Wow... That had escalating quickly... "Uh..." She stuttered, "I uh... I-I guess... I guess if I _had _to go with someone, I'd go with Frost... He's done it once, horrifying as it was, and he didn't drop me or anything..."

Jack gave a short, victorious laugh as he put his arm around her shoulder and brought her closer, flashing the pouting ginger a smug smirk.

Wait... was Jack actually gonna take her there? She hadn't meant it like that! She didn't want to fly at all, _shit!_

"Wait, wait, wait, I thought that I was just settling a rivalry, I don't _actually _wanna fly," She yelped, freezing up as she raised her arms defensively. "I can just walk- I don't wanna fly! I-I-I'm scared for my life, flying is precarious! I don't wanna do this!"

"Too late!" Jack laughed at her as his (and her) feet slowly lifted from the ground. Her eyes widened, and she shrunk down, clutching the teen around the chest as they got higher and higher, and she began panicking. She managed to catch Bunny's sympathetic look before North picked the rabbit by the scruff of the neck, and Bunny's face soon mirrored hers, before going out of sight.

"Oh God Oh God Oh God," She choked out as they flew over the trees, "Danger! _Danger!_ Death! I'm dying! I am _so _dying!"

Jack's laugh rang pierced the air as the wind led him to Burgess, Pennsylvania. "Come on, flying isn't _that _bad," The teen told her with a grin, "It's fun!"

"It's dangerous," She strainedly told him between clenched teeth, "And I am very frightened."

Jack raised an eyebrow and glanced down to where the young woman was clutching him, almost as pale as him. He cocked his head to the side. "Why are you talking like that...?"

"Because if I don't, I'm gonna make stupid sounds," She grunted into his hoodie, squeezing her eyes shut as much as she could. "And I don't like makin' stupid sounds. When I make stupid sounds, I'm a lot more liable to get more scared, and I'm trying _really _hard to stay calm."

Jack hummed, and glanced up at the dark clouds above him, before getting an idea and smiling to himself at his own ingenious. "Hey, keep your eyes closed." He told her. Ashley didn't say anything, but she nodded into his hoodie, which was good enough for him.

The wind led him up, through the clouds. He leaned back, so that she was resting against his chest instead of dangling in the air, and put a hand behind his head as they glided through the sky.

"Okay," the winter spirit told her with a big smile, "Open your eyes, and look up."

Now, you've gotta remember, Ashley was _very_ frightened at the time. It took a lot to convince herself to open her eyes. Really, the main thing that got her to do it, was that Jack had sounded so _excited_ when he had told her to open her eyes. It reminded her of Zach, and that in itself was reason enough to her. When her brother used that voice, she _knew_ that he was trying to do something to make her happy or to relax her. When someone asked you to do something in that voice, man, you _do it_.

She peeked up, only to double take and have her jaw drop. "Woah..."

They were above the dark and gloomy clouds. Stars painted the sky, and the moon, getting ever closer to being full, seemed to smile at her. The moon was so bright that when she dared to peek down, the clouds seemed to glow. She could practically hear the dramatic music in the background as she grinned to herself. As horrifying as it was, Ashley realized, being up so high from the ground granted some killer sights. It was damn beautiful...

Jack smiled at her. "Yeah, see? It isn't all that bad when you've got such a great view, right?"

Ashley looked between Jack and the moon before shrugging and lightly, playfully headbutting his chest. "Yeah, I guess so..."

"You _guess?_"

"I _know_," She corrected with a scoff, "You ass. You were right, I was wrong... Are you content, now?"

He gave a cheeky grin. "Nope. Maybe if you gave me something, I would be. Like... you could make me some more hot chocolate when we get to Zach!"

"How about I give you a fat lip, Frost?" She asked sarcastically.

Jack laughed. "You wouldn't do that..."

She scoffed and raised an eyebrow at the teen. "You seem awfully sure of that. What makes you think I won't? Do you think you're _special_ or something? That I _like _you...?"

He shrugged one shoulder, watching her carefully for her reaction as he spoke slowly. "Well, yeah, actually. That, and I might _accidentally _drop you if you were to do that..."

At the mention of being dropped, Ashley swallowed thickly and gave a nervous laugh as she unconsciously tightened her hold on his hoodie. "Hot chocolate, you said? You got it, babe. Once I get to Zach, and things slow down a bit, I'll make you some."

Jack threw his head back and laughed. "Somehow, I knew you'd say something like that!"

Ashley scowled, but didn't retort, even though she wanted to. It was really hard, being the bigger man, but she did it. Mostly because she was worried that if she didn't, Jack would end up dropping her. So, she stayed quiet for once, and settled with glaring at the moon.

They continued like that for a while, gliding through the sky that got steadily brighter as the minutes ticked by. They weren't going as fast as Jack would have liked, but Ashley wasn't frozen with fear this way, so the winter spirit didn't mind it as much as he normally would.

The young woman tore her eyes away from the sky and glanced at the teen, who was surprisingly calm. "Hey, Frost, are you always this cold...?"

Jack gave a dry, almost mocking smile and nodded. "Yep. I can only cool things down. Sorry..." His whole mood deflated, but he tried to hide it by avoiding her eyes and looking up at the sky. As slow as she sometimes is, Ashley definitely caught it... She quickly decided that she didn't like to see the winter spirit so solemn, and figured that she should cheer him up.

She shrugged her shoulders as much as she dared, being up so high, and gave him a grin. "Don't apologize, Frost... You can't help it, and, between you and me... It feels pretty good. I'm always a tad bit too hot, and it feels pretty damn great to me. Can't say the same for anyone else, but _I _sure don't mind it..."

Jack's eyes widened a bit. "Wait, I... Really...? It doesn't bother you?"

"Not really," She admitted. "I can _act _like it bugs me, if you want..."

"No, no, no!" He quickly protested, "I was just... surprised."

Ashley chuckled and nodded. "Yeah, I know. I was just playing. Chill out, Frosty." Did you catch what she did there...? She told the spirit of winter to _chill_, and...

Oh, _never mind..._

Jack quickly averted his eyes and smiled giddily at the moon. Ashley watched him curiously, cocking her head to the side. She had never gotten a chance to _really _look at the teen, so she was drinking it in.

His white hair seemed to glow in the moonlight, and his blue eyes had an almost luminescent light to them. His cheeks were actually kind of blotchy, and he had very faint freckles, despite being so pale. Which, by the way, was probably why she had never noticed it before. He had _salt and pepper _eyebrows, and his hair was awfully messy, too, but... It kind of suited him, actually.

"You would have made a damn good-looking man, Frost," She mused quietly. Said teen choked on unspoken words, and she could have been wrong, but she swore his cheeks looked a little redder than before.

"I, uh..." Jack stuttered, clearing his throat after his voice cracked. "You... You think so?"

She smirked. "Yep. I do, indeed."

He stuttered some more, and Ashley laughed at him. He finally stopped trying to talk back, and settled with just shutting his mouth. She raised an eyebrow at the teen, and he just stuck his tongue out like a kid would. She scoffed and lightly headbutted his chest, only to keep her head down because, well... She was freaking tired, man. She figured now was as good a time as any for a nap...

"If you ever tell anyone I said this, I'll deny it, but..." Ashley mumbled, "You actually aren't _that _horrible, Frosty."

He gave a short laugh. "Thanks... I guess you aren't that bad, either."

"That bad?" She snorted, stifling a yawn. "Dude, don't lie, I'm freaking fantastic..."

She heard him scoff before zoning out and quickly falling asleep.

Jack called her name a few times before realizing she had fallen asleep. For a few seconds, he _thought _about pulling a prank on the dozing girl, but quickly abandoned the thought. The past few days have been really... Not good, to put it lightly. He figured that she deserved a few minutes of sleep, at the least.

Not only that, but with her asleep, he could start going faster. The wind pushed him with more force, and he glanced down at the sleeping girl.

"Huh..." He mused to himself quietly, "She actually almost looks peaceful for once..."

* * *

When Ashley woke up again, she momentarily forgot where she was and let go of Jack to stretch.

Luckily for her, they were only a few feet above the ground...

She flinched when she landed on her arse again, letting out a low string or curses as she rolled onto her side, shielding her eyes from the sun. "Where am I...?" She croaked.

"You're at Zach's school. He should be leaving for recess any minute now..."

Looking up at the smirking teen, she grumbled quietly and sat up. She started to push herself up, but stopped halfway up and gave him a dubious look. "When did we get _here_?!"

They were on the edge of the playground. Which was basically just a big plot of land with a swing set and a bright red slide.

"Like half an hour ago," He told her as his feet planted on the ground, and a small burst of wind slapped her in the face. He reached his hand down to help her up, but she lightly smacked it away and staggered up with a yawn.

Ashley rubbed her eyes and started to ask how long it was until recess started, but the recess bell rung before she could ask. _Oh_... Well, there was her answer. She picked her trident up from the ground and leaned towards the school, waiting to catch a glimpse of her baby.

Her heart began fluttering around in her chest, and as the milliseconds ticked by, a grin crossed her face. By the time the first kid ran out the door, she was practically bouncing in place. "God, I can't wait to see him," She breathed excitedly, "I'm gonna squeeze the freaking life out of him, and I ain't lettin' go, man..."

Jack laughed at the excited girl as more and more kids poured out the double doors. Ashley gave a low whine of impatience as her stomach began bouncing around more and more.

She finally caught sight of the boy, and she practically squealed in excitement, turning to Jack Frost and picking him up by the collar of his hoodie before hugging him really quickly. She dropped him and spun around once before going back to bouncing in place with a goofy grin on her face. She kind of reminded Jack of an excited puppy...

Zach walked with crutches, slowly, and with his shoulders slumped over and face staring at the ground, but Ashley didn't mention it because she knew that would change soon.

Finally, she decided the time was right and she started making her way over, only to stop a few meters away.

"You gonna go back in your corner and cry to yourself?" A child's voice rang out. Ashley frowned.

A boy that was a few inches taller than Zach walked over. He had light brown hair that was slicked into a faux-hawk. He pushed Zach's shoulder, and a spark of anger ran through Ashley. It wasn't very hard, but it still made her mad.

"Just leave me alone." Zach mumbled.

The boy frowned. "Look, man... I'm sorry about your sister, but you've gotta stop this. We need our defender back... You were the fastest runner out of all of us, and... Well, we miss you. You never talked much, but you were still apart of the team."

"Well you're not getting him back," Zach sniffled. "Because I... I just can't."

The boy looked sad for a few seconds, before scowling and shoving Zach to the ground. "Being sad isn't going to bring your sister back!" The boy kicked him once. Not even all that hard, but it was enough to make Ashley madder than she had ever been.

The anger was red-hot, and started in her belly. It reared up like a bear would, and exploded in every limb, every string of muscle, every vein in her body. Ashley forgot herself, so lost in her anger, and didn't even notice the... changes, that partook.

Ashley stormed over and loomed over the boy, nostrils flaring...

Except, it wasn't quite... _her_.

A huge bear-a polar bear-with a scarred face and sliced ear snorted in the taller boy's face. All the children in the playground had frozen at the sight. The bear reared up, easily surpassing eleven feet, and roared in the boy's face, who screamed like a little girl before running, as did many of the closest children.

Zach was pale as the great bear turned to him. It breathed in his face, and the young boy fell over with wide eyes, frozen with fear. The bear crooned and leaned it's massive head down, very gently and tenderly nuzzling the top of the boy's head, wrapping a massive paw around him protectively.

The bear looked down at the boy, only to flinch. Zach was looking at her with... _terror_. Did her face really get that messed up...? North lied to her... And the more she looked at Zach, the more it kind of crushed her entire soul...

"Ashley!" Jack Frost whisper-yelled as he appeared next to the bear. "Are you still mentally you, or...?"

The bear looked over at the teen, cocking its head to the side, giving the winter spirit a confused and questioning look with surprisingly expressive brown eyes.

Jack grimaced and leapt at the bear, wrapping his arms around its middle as best as he could before summoning the strongest winds he could muster, and lifting both him and (just barely) the bear into the thick forest, while the bear protested loudly, fearfully.

A group of children, stopped their panic, to gape at Jack Frost as he dragged the bear up into the air.

Just as the bear disappeared into the tops of the trees, several teachers burst through the doors to see the panicking children, and Zach, who was still sitting on the ground in shock. One of the teachers ran over, and lifted the boy up by his arms, asking what had just happened.

"That-that bear..." The young boy choked out, "That bear was... It seemed familiar, somehow..."

* * *

"What are you doing?!" Ashley roared at the teen. Said teen grinned weakly from the ground, gasping for breath.

"Sorry," He wheezed. "I don't speak bear..."

"What?!" Ashley asked bewilderedly, "Are you _high?!_What are you talking about-bear?!"

Jack still didn't understand her, but he figured he caught the gist of what she had tried to say. "Look at your hands..."

As confused and angry as the girl was, the winter spirit looked really exhausted, and she didn't like kicking people while they were down, both physically and vocally. So, against her better judgement, she looked down at her hands.

Except, they weren't hands... They were paws. _Massive _paws with long, sharp claws at the end of five furry fingers. And well...

She screamed. Or, she _would _have, if she weren't a bear, but she was so... She made a panicked roar instead, as she bounced around and spun to catch a glimpse of a white, furry butt.

"What is this?!" She cried out, "How did this happen?! _HOW DO I TURN BACK?!_"

She paused to take a breath before continuing. "I'm a freaking bear! What do I do to turn back-do I-do I have to pull some voodoo crap?! Do I need a Ouija board or something?! Maybe some holy water?!"

Jack grinned at her from the ground. "Nope," He choked out, "You don't need holy water..."

She turned to him and waved her arms around frantically. "Then what do I need?! I don't want to be a bear forever!"

"You won't."

"How do you know that?! Are you a wizard?! Can you see the future?! NO! You can't! So you don't know _nothin_'_!_"

"You're right, I don't," He laughed weakly. "But from the looks of it, _you _don't know nothing, either..."

She glared at him. "What is that supposed to mean?!"

"Look down."

Ashley faltered. "_Oh..._" She looked from her hands to Jack, then back at her hands. "Where's my trident...?"

"Over there, where you started off."

She looked over, only to nod. "Ah. There it is. Thanks, Eros."

As she was walking over, it hit her. She jumped up and turned to face the smug ginger, who grinned and gave a two-fingered salute as his wings folded against his back. "Hey there."

She sighed and slapped her palm to her forehead. "I should've known," She muttered, "No one _ever _let's me off easy." She continued on her way to her trident, and brushed some dead leaves off of it as she lifted it up.

Eros shrugged and grinned, only to look over to Jack and frown. "Your friend isn't looking too hot..."

"Ha ha ha, you're a comedy genius," Jack coughed, sitting up with a grimace. "Of course I don't... I just lifted a half-ton bear..."

Ashley flinched and walked over, crouching down. "Damn, I'm sorry..." She put her hand on his shoulder. "I... Are you okay...?"

Jack laughed weakly. "I don't know yet... My body isn't done cursing me out, yet..."

She shrunk down and gave him a guilty look. "I'm really sorry, bud."

"S'okay." He grunted, "You didn't even know you were a bear, did you...?"

Shaking her head, she frowned. "No... I-that explains why he was looking at me like that..." She grimaced and made a feeble attempt to reach for her chest, only to stop and drop her hand, letting it dangle in the air. "That... That kind of messed me up, but... I-I should be worrying about you. Do you want me to carry you...?"

"_NO._" Jack said quickly, letting his head fall back. "Just... give me a minute. You are _not _carrying me..."

Eros walked over, and kneeled down with Ashley. He looked from Ashley to Jack, back to Ashley, then to Jack again. "Okay, so you aren't gonna be carried... Would you ride a bear?"

Both Ashley and Jack gave the spirit of love a bewildered look.

"Say _what_?!"

"A _bear_?!"

Eros smirked and nodded. Jack and Ashley looked from Eros to each other...

And so...

That's why, a few minutes later, Jack was riding on the back of a massive polar bear, holding his staff in one hand while the other was buried in the soft, white, and thick fur.

Jack rolled his shoulders and leaned forward, laying his chest against the bear's back. "This is really comfortable..."

"Don't get used to it..." Ashley told him as she padded along besides Eros, who had refused to leave. "This isn't becoming a regular thing, even if you _are _skinny and weigh pretty much nothing. Don't want people to think I'm actually starting to tolerate you..."

Jack grinned as he ran his fingers through her fur, which felt _surprisingly _good. She could see why dogs liked it so much.. "Still don't speak bear, Ash."

"Oh yeah..." She muttered. "Wait, so you can't understand me?"

"You can still understand me when you're a bear, so why are you still talking to me when I can't understand...?" The teen chuckled.

"Sooo... I can pretty much say whatever I want with no consequences...?" Ashley mused aloud. She grinned to herself.

"Me... No... Speaky... Bear..." Jack said slowly, like he was talking to a baby.

"You're an idiot." Ashley told him matter-of-factly. "You're also annoying. Sometimes, I wanna smack you upside the head with my shield. And a _lot _of the time, I wanna wipe that crooked smirk of yours off your pretty little face."

Jack paused before leaning closer, narrowing his eyes. "You're insulting me, aren't you...?"

She shut up, and Eros barked a laugh as the large bear gave the ground a guilty look.

They continued like that for a while, until they got near the backyard of Ashley's former home, and her steps got more and more unsure. She stopped just before the tree line, and hunched her shoulders together, watching the house with an uncertain, almost _scared _look as Zach's horrified face rang clear through her head.

He had been _so scared_... Of _her_. She lost control once... What if... What if it happened again...? She messed up...

"I _told _you to learn to control your anger."

She felt Jack jerk in surprise, but Ashley was almost completely unfazed. She was just used to it, by now...

"I _would _retort, but you won't understand me." She told Slendy without turning to look at him.

She heard Slendy's chuckle. "I told you, young one, I am an all knowing entity. I _can _understand you, though the others do not."

She sighed and shrugged one massive shoulder. "Okay, cool..."

"Are you talking to us...?" Jack asked unsurely, only to get ignored.

"What troubles you?"

"Well," Ashley began tiredly, "I just... I don't know. I feel scared, even though I shouldn't..." She turned her head, only to find that Slendy was standing right next to her. "Just... Did you see his _face_? He was horrified... Of _me_... _And _I ended up hurting Frost because I lost my stupid temper..."

Slendy hummed and nodded. "I see... You are still worried that you are unfit for this."

She cocked her head to the side, raising one furry brow. "_What?_How did you get that out of-"

"All knowing entity..."

She nodded slowly. "Right... Continue."

Slendy nodded and turned his head to her former home. "You are worried that you are unfit to do this. You are aware of your temper, and worry that you will harm those close to you..."

"What...?" Jack asked in disbelief, "Are you talking about _Ash?!_"

Slendy ignored the winter spirit and continued. "These are pointless concerns. Vergil knew what he was doing. I can see that now... The Nightmare King is clever, yes. He is highly intelligent, a smooth talker, calm and collected... _You_... not so much."

"Gee, thanks for the pep talk, Slendy..." Ashley grumbled sarcastically.

"I'm not finished. You have a very short temper. You are impatient. You curse more than you should, and are blunt as well as violent."

"_Really_," She sighed. "You're _not _helping. Just stop..."

"Clumsy at best," Slendy continued, "You have trouble expressing your emotions. Also, you are _very _stubborn..."

She shot her head over and gave a low growl. "Are you done yet?!"

"-But, you also have many redeeming qualities that make up for the bad. Have faith in Vergil, young one. He is, by no means, an idiot."

She gave an exasperated look to the sky. "That was supposed to make me feel _better?!_That-I... What?!" She looked over, only to find an empty spot...

The bear roared in anger and frustration as it stomped it's feet on the ground. "_YOU SUCK AT HELPING!_"

* * *

**Author's Note~**

**Every once in a while, I feel bad for Ashley, and all the stress I put her through, so... Guess who she's finally gonna see next chapter? I'm not tellin', though. Ya might get it right (and you probably will) or you might get it wrong, but not a word shall pass my lips.  
**

**So... May I take a moment, and thank everyone who's read, reviewed, favorited, and followed? Because I want to. Seriously, I really appreciate all the positive-ness my little story is getting. Makes my day a little better, yo.  
**

**As always, tell me if I made any mistakes. I've found that transferring the file from google to here messes some stuff up. Thanks for reading, and I hope you get a few laughs out of my little tale :)  
**

**,_BlueAsh666_  
**


	11. Chapter 11

Jack Frost and Eros did not ever expect to have to give a pep talk to a _bear_. But that's just what they had to do, because a _certain _Slenderman had piss-poor motivational skills...

The large polar bear was facing an even larger tree, laying down and covering her face with massive paws, grumbling at the spirits to leave her alone, despite the fact that they couldn't understand her.

"Can I quit and go back to being dead...?" The bear whimpered. "I kinda wanna go back to being dead... This job _sucks_. I didn't even get a welcoming ceremony or _anything_. This sucks, and I want to go back to being dead. What good am I doing, anyways? _None_. I scared the shit out of my brother, and I hurt a teenage delinquent that was just trying to _help me_. _I _suck..."

"Come on," Eros reasoned with the bear, lightly patting her side, "You're not _that _bad..."

"She _isn't?!_"

The ginger scowled and hit the teen upside the head. "We're supposed to be _helping _her, you stupid kid!"

Jack yelped and held up his arms in defense. "I wasn't being serious!" He protested, "I thought that maybe she would get mad at me and forget about being depressed..."

Eros rolled his eyes and leaned down on one of his knees. "Come on... I've been aiming for ya for _four years_. I wouldn't spend that much time on anyone who was anything less than awesome..."

The bear grunted into the ground. She wasn't crying or anything, but _man_, she kind of wanted to...

Jack finally sighed and set his staff on the ground before getting on his hands and knees. He lifted up one of the massive bear's arms and crawled underneath it until he got close to the moping bear's face. The teen wrapped one arm around the bear's massive neck and lightly patted her forehead.

"Hey..." Jack told her quietly, "You wanna know how I know that you're cool...?"

The bear exhaled heavily and shrugged one shoulder.

"Zach. Zach is a great kid, and smart, too. And that kid loves you to _death_," Jack said, "You should have _seen_ the way his eyes lit up when he'd tell me about you... You were his _hero_."

She glanced at the white-haired teen from the corner of her eye, and Jack grinned.

"Is his hero gonna let him down...? Are you-"

The bear sat up suddenly, placing a furry paw over the teen's face, ears erect. She stood up slowly, sniffing the air as a familiar, not-right sensation bubbled in her veins. The bear stood up on her hind legs, and the fur seemed to almost melt off as the bear got shorter and shorter, until Ashley was standing there with her trident in hand.

She narrowed her eyes in concentration as she breathed in the air.

"What is it...?" Eros asked quietly.

She started to lean back to tell him she wasn't sure, until it hit her like a ton of bricks. "Son of a female dog!" She snarled before sprinting to the large tree in her backyard and scrambling up. She leaped into the window, forcing it open before barrel rolling on the carpet.

She looked up, only to see a fearling looming by Zach's side, and she growled low under her breath as she threw her trident into the creature's chest. The fearling staggered back a few steps before being engulfed in the now-familiar white light, and her trident hit the ground with a _thud._

"You damn things just don't give up, do you?!" She roared in anger. "Put yourself back together so I can kill you some more, you bitch! You need to just _fuck off_, Pitch! I'll kick your ass-messing with _my _baby!"

Sliding across the bed, she dropped to the ground and picked up her trident faster than you or I could blink. Checking under the bed for any more fearlings and finding none, she peeked in the closet and was just starting to check behind some coats before a voice rang out.

"A-Ashley...?"

_Whoops_. Ashley still had yet to _completely_ figured out how to control when people could and couldn't see her. She had figured it had something to do with what she consciously or unconsciously wanted-but wasn't quite sure yet, and thus, couldn't really control it. Being around other... whatever they were-Jack and Eros and them, they could see her no matter what, so she couldn't test it out on them. So really, until she had a chance to test it out, it was a fifty/fifty deal...

She'd have to ask Slendy about it, next time she saw him...

She stood up straight and clutched her trident to her chest, turning and giving the young boy a meek wave. "Hey... Hey, darlin'..." She rubbed the back of her neck nervously, clearing her throat. "Um... Wow, I should've planned this out or something, this is really awkward," She chuckled weakly, hoping to break the ice. "So, uh... Guess who's not dead...?"

Zach burst into tears, and Ashley... well, for lack of a better word, she panicked.

"No, no, no-don't cry! _Wow_, talk about me being insensitive!" She yelped, "But hey, I'm not dead! Well, I guess _technically_ I am-but-but you can see me, and-and talk to me, and even touch me! Please, _please _don't cry! I'm right here, see!" She dropped her trident and held her arms open, gesturing to herself. "You're not crazy-I'm here!"

Zach jumped at her, almost knocking her over as he wrapped his arms around her neck. She was surprised at first, but she quickly hugged him back, sinking to the ground. Zach sniffled into her neck, as they both held each other as tight as they could, with no intention of letting go anytime soon.

Just being able to touch the kid again made her feel _so _much better. After so long of wanting to hug him... It was nothing short of bliss.

Hearing Zach sniffle and stifle sobs made _her_ get all emotional, and well... She just forgot herself. _She _started to cry a little bit, too, as she kissed the top of his head and nuzzled the top of his head.

"I'm so sorry, Ashley," Zach whimpered, "It was my fault... None of this would have happened if I would have just fallen asleep like you wanted me to..."

Ashley laughed as a tear rolled down her nose, leaning back a bit. She wiped away the stream of tears from his eyes and kissed the young boy's nose. "Baby, don't even pull that crap," she choked out, "I don't _care_. If anything, it was _my_ fault. I was the adult, I should've been paying attention-but I'm not playin' the blame game with you... God, kid, I am _so _sorry..."

As she hugged the boy, Jack and Eros peeked in the window, having missed the action _again_.

Eros didn't mind it, though, as he smiled to himself. A real, genuine smile, this time... "I always love seeing that," The man sighed happily. "That's one of the purest kinds of love... It's also one of the best ways to tell if someone is worth trusting or not. It's gotta be in my top three favorites..."

Hearing other voices, Ashley quickly straightened up and wiped her eyes, clearing her throat. "I-I wasn't crying. I was... I was sweating through my eyelids." She stood up quickly, with Zach still hanging around her neck. She smiled and held him up.

"I missed you..." Zach mumbled into her neck.

She chuckled and nuzzled his shoulder. "I can see that..." She looked over at the winged ass and jerked her head to her trident. "Get that for me, will you? Zach's getting a little too big for me to bend over while carrying him."

Eros walked over and picked up her trident, handing it to her with the _weirdest _smile. Ashley averted her eyes. "Uh... You okay...?"

He gave a giddy smile. "I'm better than okay! Cupid, remember...? Seeing love makes me feel all warm and fuzzy."

She raised an eyebrow at the odd ginger before shaking her head and muttering under her breath, "I can see why people say gingers don't have souls..." Before turning her attention back to her baby.

"Are you alright?" She asked concernedly, "That kid who pushed you, did he hurt ya? I swear to whatever _god _is up there, I'll mess him up if he hurt you..."

Zach leaned back and gave her a shaky smile. "No, he didn't hurt me m-" He froze. "Wait... how did you know about that...?"

_Uh oh..._Ashley cleared her throat and laughed nervously. "Oh, you know... I've been around town, and news spreads like a frickin' _wildfire_, these days..."

Zach raised an eyebrow. "I may be young," He told her dryly, "But I'm not stupid. _You _pretty much raised me for the past two and a half years, after all..."

She winced. Ouch... "Yeah, yeah, you're right. I am pretty awesome," She sighed. "Well, ya see..."

He jumped suddenly, and put his hand on her face with wide eyes. "Wait..." He breathed, running his fingers down cheek, realization in his eyes. He moved her reddish hair away from her left ear, only to jump back and almost fall off of her lap. "_You_-you-you! You have the same - how?!"

She opened her mouth again, only to be cut off _again_. "Oh my-did you...?! Were you...?! Could that bear have been...?!" He gaped at her, opening and closing his mouth for a few seconds before shaking his head. "No... No, that's impossible..."

She gave a weak smile, watching him carefully for any signs of fear or disgust. "You're thinking like a mortal... I was supposed to be _dead_. But I'm here now... Nothing's impossible, so I'm told."

The young, almost sickly-looking boy gaped at her for a few seconds, with eyes that seemed as large as dinner plates. It made sense, really... Zach was by no means a foolish boy, and he clearly saw the scars on the bear's face. Rearrange them a little to fit a human's, and they matched Ashley's scarred face. Even the ear...

For a moment, a flash of fear crossed Zach's face, and Ashley's heart dropped in her chest. She hadn't meant for it to show on her face, but it did, and Zach saw it...

He stared at her for a few tense seconds, before asking slowly, "So... that bear was you...?"

A guilty look that was laced with regret crossed her face, and she nodded.

He watched her carefully before repeating, "So... That was you, at recess...? The big, white bear...?" She nodded again, and a grin crossed the boy's face as his eyes lit up. "_Cool!_ You can turn into a _bear!_Can I ride on your back?!"

Her face fell and she cocked her head to the side. "Wait... You're not scared or anything...?"

Zach scoffed. "Me? Scared of _you?!_" He snorted. "That's not even _remotely _funny. I'd never be scared of you, Ash... I promise. Just... don't leave me like that again...? Please?"

She hugged him. Yeah, she'd been hugging him a lot, but she needed to make up for lost time. That's the excuse she'd give if someone were to ask, anyways... "I love you, kid." She mumbled. "And I'm sorry I put you through all that..."

"S'okay," The boy mumbled in her shoulder, "You didn't try to... And-and I wanna tell you another thing... You... You died, because of me..."

Ashley rolled her eyes. "I thought I told you that I'm not playing the blame game."

Zach shook his head and frowned. "No, no... I mean-you saved my life. Some people that were investigating saw how messed up my side of the car was... I should have been dead. My leg got crushed real bad, and I was bleeding on the inside, but... it should have been worser." Zach gave her a sad, guilty, regretful look. "If you had stayed on your side, you could have walked out with just a few scratches, but you didn't... You covered me up, and took most of it." His eyes suddenly got a glassy look to them, and he cleared his throat. "And you... People called you a hero. I just... I just wanted you to know that..."

She blinked a few times, before shrugging one shoulder. "Babe, I'm gonna be completely honest with you... I really could _not _care less... I just wanted you to come out of there unhurt... And, I kinda failed..." She looked down at his stump. "I tried, but..."

Zach lightly punched her in the shoulder, smiling assuredly. "It didn't hurt, honest..."

She raised an eyebrow and gave the boy a skeptical look. "_Zachary..._"

"Okay, okay," He admitted weakly, "So it hurts a _little _when I take a shower and clean it, and the stitches still creep me out... But I'm a big boy, I can handle a little hurt."

Giving up, she sighed and lightly headbutted him. "I know... I still don't want you to have to, though."

The boy shrugged, and caught sight of the people behind her, only to have his jaw drop. "Jack! And a bird man!" He gasped before asking excitedly, "And are you the _tooth fairy_?!"

Ashley turned to look, only to drop her arms. It was a good thing Zach was holding on tight...

"Woah, man... That is... You are... _beauteous..._"

Now, Ashley had _no_ idea what she was. The so-called tooth fairy kind of looked like a mix between a hummingbird and a human. Brightly colored feathers covered her body, save for her face and hands. Her eyelashes were long, and her face was clean and clear. Her feathers had a brilliant sheen to them, and a crown of longer, lighter-colored feathers on her head where hair would be. And the wings... They were moving so fast, she couldn't really see them but they were still _so _cool...

So in shock, Ashley had forgotten that Zach was dangling by his arms until he protested with a grunt and a headbutt to the shoulder. She jolted, and held him back up with a meek apology.

The tooth fairy smiled and flew closer. The way she moved reminded Ashley of a hummingbird. "Thank you very much!" Giving the awkward adult a closer look, she gasped, and the feathers on her head lifted, like a cockatoo's would. "You're Ashley Catherine Edgewood!" She beamed. "My, I haven't seen any sign of you since you were fifteen! You got so big!" The lady's smile fell. "Goodness... What happened to you...?"

"Okay, that's it!" Ashley exclaimed with a note of finality in her voice, "I'm getting a mirror! This is getting on my nerves, man. Everyone keeps talking about my face, and I still haven't even _seen _it yet! Someone give me a freaking mirror!"

Eros raised a hand. "I have one..." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, foldable mirror before throwing it to her. She caught it and opened it, only to flinch once she looked in it.

"Dang... Scars are _not _quite as attractive as a lot of people make it out to be..." She muttered scornfully.

It wasn't as bad as she had expected. She had been expecting it to look like she'd had an accident with a cheese grater or something. It was even fully healed and everything, but...

A bunch of cuts ran up her face at various angles. The smallest ones were little more than pinkish lines that indented on her skin a bit. But those weren't what she was really upset about. Some particularly large and bastardous pieces of glass had ran across the bridge of her nose, took out a piece of her eyebrow, sliced her lips, and had damn-well nearly blinded her! There was very little space between the particularly large, pink scar and her eye. It ran downwards, and didn't even look all that horrifying or anything, it actually kind of looked like one of the scar options from Skyrim when making a character, but... it still didn't really help her lower-than-average self-image.

"This is like some 'Phantom of the Opera' crap," She said quietly, "I look..." She trailed off, and Zach finished for her.

"Awesome." The young boy told her firmly and sternly, with no room for discussion in his voice. "You look like a really cool, warrior superhero that's also a dragonborn assassin."

Ashley faltered and gave the young boy a look. He gave an assuring smile, and she gave one back. She didn't say anything-she didn't need to, and they both knew it.

Clearing her throat, she turned to the winged bird-woman-thing and bowed as far down as she could go without risk of dropping Zach. "Hey there. I'm Ashley-but I guess you already know that... I'm told that I'm supposed to be the spirit of courage. Which really needs an acronym or something, but I can do that later..."

The bird woman's eyes lit up as she beamed. "Oh, really?! Wow, that's so great!" She flew right up in Ashley's face and _opened her mouth_. "Your teeth are looking quite nice but... you drink coffee, don't you...?"

As bewildered as she was, Ashley nodded, looking around with wide, _very _confused eyes. "Uh-huh. Li'e ni'e cu's a day..."

The feathers on the tooth fairy's head puffed up as she looked from Ashley's mouth to her eyes, surprise in her eyes. "_Nine?! _What?! Really...?" Ashley gave an awkward nod, with the fairy's fingers still in her mouth. The fairy's eyes got _wider_, if that was even possible. "Wow... You take _great _care of your teeth, then!"

Bunnymund's voice came from the open window. "'Ey Tooth, ya got your fingers in someone's mouth again... You're not 'sposed to do that, 'member? At least... not without permission..."

Tooth's head jerked a bit, having forgotten about that. She withdrew her fingers, much to Ashley's relief, and apologized meekly.

Ashley shrugged. "Water under the bridge." Zach looked over at Bunnymund, and his jaw dropped.

"Woah! You're-you're the Easter Bunny!"

Bunny grinned from the windowsill and hopped in. "At your service, mate. I hope ya found the eggs to be quite right, Zachary...?"

Said boy gave a goofy grin as he hopped down from Ashley's arms, and leaned against her for balance. "The Easter Bunny knows my name! Yeah, they were great! This is _so _cool!"

North's head peeked in. "Everything is fine, yes? No trouble in finding zhe leetle one?" The massive man squeezed into the room, making the already crowded room about _three_ times worse. Also making Zach _way _more excited.

"Santa!" The young boy exclaimed excitedly, "I _knew _you were real! I knew Ashley wasn't lying to me!"

North glanced at said girl with a fond smile. He would have patted her on the shoulder, but he was too far away... and Ashley was thanking every god she knew of, and even some she didn't, that that was the case...

"Yeah, I got this," Ashley told the huge man, "But listen... There was _another_ fearling messing with my baby, and I'm not tolerating that. Not even a little. We've gotta do something about this because _you guys_ are the Guardians of children, and Zach is _my _baby."

North furrowed his eyebrows in concern. "Another vone...?"

"Yeah," She replied, putting her arm around Zach. "And I'm not leavin' the kid unless I know he's gonna be safe, so we've gotta do something."

The large man stroked his white beard, humming thoughtfully before jumping up. "Ve could keep him in North Pole! He vould be safe there-the yetis will not let any harm come to him."

Both Bunny and Ashley gave North a look.

"Are ya bonkers, mate?! They'll notice that the ankle-biter's gone in an instant!"

"Yeah, come on, now..."

Zach raised a hand. "Uh... Actually, they... They may not." The boy added quietly, "They've been working a _lot _lately. I've been in my room a lot, and... They haven't really noticed..."

Pretty much everyone in the room frowned when they heard that, and Ashley rolled up her imaginary sleeves with a scowl. "Okay, that tears it. I'm kickin' Dad's booty."

She started walking towards the door, but a small hand grabbed her shoulder. "I know you're upset, Ashley, but this provides us with a way to ensure Zach's safety," Tooth told her gently, with the patience of a mother.

Ashley frowned, pointing back to the door. Suddenly, she felt like she was six again, when she would made a weak excuse to her mom, before her mom had an aneurysm and left her and her dad all alone. "But... But he... My dad..." Tooth raised an eyebrow, and Ashley's shoulders hunched over as she sighed defeatedly. "_Okay_... I'm doing it later, though..."

Zach beamed and hopped over to his bed, collapsing in it and throwing the blanket off, searching for something. He crawled over the edge of the mattress and peeked under his bed, only to groan with impatience. "Where _is _it?! Where's my leg?!"

Everyone started searching for it, bumping into each other and awkwardly apologizing to each other. It was Bunnymund who found it, with a victorious grin on his furry muzzle as he handed the young boy his false, metal leg.

"Here ya are, Zach," The rabbit told him, lightly rubbing the boy's hair. "Don'tcha rush yourself, now."

Said boy had to shake off an awed look, and started putting it on while Ashley looked in the closet to find the boy a coat. Because, ya know... It's the _North Pole_, and all that...

She moved the various coats aside until she found a familiar leather bomber jacket. It was familiar, because, well... it was _hers_. Or rather, it _used_ to be hers. She didn't really need it now, and when she _had_ needed it, Zach ended up using it most of the time, anyways. He'd always needed it more. And to be honest, Ashley also didn't mind it because she _liked _the fact that a piece of her was with the little bugger, and would be with him for as long as she wasn't.

But, she would _never, ever _say that out loud. To anyone. Ever. Because... that was just how she rolled.

Pulling it off the hanger, Ash turned and threw the jacket at his face, and laughed when he fell back with a grunt, reaching towards the ceiling futilely. "Better put that on. It gets cold up there, and I can't be there the whole time as your own personal heater."

The boy pulled the coat off of his face and grinned. "Aww, you care..."

"Me? Pssh," She waved him off as she zipped up the coat for him and handed him his crutches. "_Please..._ You are the _scum _between my toes. I can barely tolerate your existence."

"Neither can I." The young boy replied, taking the crutches and standing up, leaning against his sister with a grin. "I hate your guts."

Everyone else looked at each other, confused... But they didn't get it. Their words were harsh, sure, but there was a big grin on both their faces. In reality, they both knew that they would die for each other... though, Ashley-the more stubborn of the two-would never allow him to do so, if things came to that-and it _had_.

But even death hadn't been enough to keep the girl down, it seemed... And Zach (Ashley, too) could not have been happier that that was the case.

* * *

**Author's Note~**

**It was Zach! And the Tooth Fairy, but the main thing here was Zach. I had missed Zach, and I had a feeling that if Ash didn't get an incentive, she'd end up having a break down, and well... I didn't want that to happen _just_ yet.**

**What I have planned for the next bit (keyword is _planned_. Things don't always go as planned) is: Some yeti bonding. Some reindeer riding. Also, I'm thinking of getting Ash to show Jack what's what and sing a Spanish lullaby with a yeti. It may or may not involve some bongos. There's gonna be quite a bit, and that's partially the reason this chapter was a bit short. Sorry 'bout that.  
**

**Thanks to everyone who's read, reviewed, favorited and followed! I really do appreciate it, and I'm glad people like this as much as I like writing it.  
**

**Tell me if I made any errors on this chapter-or any, really. And as always, hope you get a few laughs out of reading my goofy little story!  
**

**,_BlueAsh666_  
**


	12. Chapter 12

Zach gaped at the sights and sounds around him as the sleigh pulled into the ice tunnel, and Ashley could _not _stop smirking at the boy's ridiculous face, not even to be afraid of dying when they were flying. They came to stop, and Ashley hopped out before holding her arms out to catch him. Zach was still in awe, and after a minute or two, she rolled her eyes.

"Come on, Z," She told him, "I haven't got all day."

The boy jerked like he had forgotten her, and looked down at her. "Ash... This place... It's so-"

"-This ain't even half, little bud," Jack told him. "And North can show ya the rest, if you get down..."

North perked up from the front of the sleigh and beamed. "Yes! Ve vill have wonderful time! There is much to show you! Ve vill give you the 'grand tour,' as they say!"

The boy jumped out of the sleigh and into Ashley's arms faster than anyone could believe. Bunnymund did the same, and straightened up as he cleared his throat, trying to act like he _hadn't _just been frozen in fear.

Zach gave his sister a puppy dog look, silently asking-_begging_-to be allowed to go on the tour with North. The girl rolled her eyes, but nuzzled the top of his head before setting him on the ground and handing him his crutches. She didn't really want to let him go-she had missed him-but she also didn't want to smother him... and, well, she wanted to explore a little too. And that exploring might or might not involve getting into things she wasn't supposed to, and she didn't want to get Zach in trouble on his first day.

"I _guess_. Just don't break anything," She told him before looking at North. "You take care of the little bugger. Make sure he doesn't get into anything he shouldn't. I'm trusting you with my baby, North... Don't make me regret it, _or you will_."

North gave a fond smile, and bowed slightly. "Of course, Ashvey... You entrust me vith your leetle vone-I vill keep him safe."

She _still_ didn't like letting Zach go. She had _just _gotten him back, after all... But the boy was growing up, and she knew that she forgot that, sometimes. As they walked away, the massive man and the young boy side by side, she looked over at the reindeer.

Three yetis were trying to get one of the reindeer in the back to calm down. And not just any reindeer...

_Aleksei_.

She jogged over and motioned for the huge shih-tzu looking creatures to back up. "Woah, hang on guys! I got this!"

One of them, a particularly large dark gray one with green eyes, turned and gave the woman a bewildered look before asking in a rough, almost unintelligible voice, "Are ya crazy?! This un'll squash ya like a bug!" he started to say more, but Aleksei kicked him, as well as the other two, back.

Wincing, she ran over and raised her arms to the raging beast, ignoring the protests of various yetis, Bunnymund, _and _Jack.

One piercing eye caught sight of her, and the beast almost fell over itself in it's attempt to avoid hitting her. It landed on the floor heavily, and snorted before turning his massive head and leaning down so that his head was right in front of hers.

The girl grinned and leaned her forehead against his, cooing quietly. "Hey there, bud. You causing trouble...?" She lightly stroked his muzzle, and Aleksei all but _purred_, deep in his throat as he nuzzled her face a bit.

"Wha?!" One of the yetis gasped, "That thing is a _brute! _Why's he... How's she... What?!"

She smirked back at the yeti, pulling off all the ropes they had been using in their attempt to move the reindeer but one. She used the one rope-the thinnest one-and tied a loose knot around Aleksei's neck. She glanced over at the one yeti that had tried to stop her, and gestured to the caribou.

"Where does he go?" She asked, completely at ease as she ran her fingers through his mane. The yeti, mouth wide open, faintly pointed behind her, in the stall behind her. She nodded and very gently pulled the rope. "Come on, bud. It's time to take a little break. Eat, drink some water, relax-I'll come see you in a bit, okay?"

He snorted, and didn't seem to _really _want to go, but he followed her anyways. Once he was in the stall, she untied the rope and patted his massive shoulder. "Thanks, Aleksei." She hummed before walking out of the stall and locking the door with no trouble or complaint from the huge beast.

Jack Frost chuckled as he inspected Ashley's trident. "Wow, Phil... I've never seen you so surprised before."

The yeti, supposedly 'Phil,' turned to the white-haired teen and scowled. "Shush, ya rapscallion! Tha' beast'll squash ya as soon as 'e looks at ya! I have e'ery right ta be surprised!"

"Aleksei?" Ashley asked, laughing despite her attempts to quell them, "He's a sweetheart!"

Phil turned to her and violently gestured to the reindeer. "Tha' creature broke damn near e'ery one of a fellow's ribs, with a single kick!"

She furrowed an eyebrow. "What..? But... _no_, you're shittin' me."

Phil raised a furry brow. "I wish I was. Wha' makes ya so special? Who are ya...?"

"I'm Ashley," She said as she walked over to Jack and snatched her trident out of the delinquent's hand before continuing, "I'm the spirit of courage... That's what people say, anyways..."

The teen gave Ashley a confused look. "Who are you talking to...?"

"Phil," She told him slowly, pointing back to the dark gray yeti. "The yeti that you were _just _talking to..."

Jack and Bunnymund shared a look, before Bunny took a step closer. "Uh... No one can rightly understand the yetis except North..."

She raised an eyebrow and gestured back to the yetis. "What...? How can you not understand them? They're only speaking _plain English_. I mean, the accent is a little weird and hard to understand, sometimes-"

"Hey!" One of the yetis protested, insulted.

"-But it isn't all that hard." She finished.

"Ah," Bunnymund nodded, walking up and patting her shoulder. "Right... I keep forgettin', you're the spirit of courage. Vergil could understand the yetis, too."

Ashley perked up. "You knew the guy?"

Bunnymund nodded and ruffled the girl's hair. "You bet'cha. Courage an' hope go hand in hand." The giant rabbit paused thoughtfully and looked down at the girl. "Maybe that's why you an' I were always so tight..."

"But I'm not courageous!" She protested, beginning to get tired of having to explain it to _every freaking person she meets_.

"You might not _think _ya are," Bunnymund explained to her patiently, "And maybe you're right. Maybe, in most cases, you're a bloody coward-"

"-Gee, thanks," She said dryly, "That's really reassuring."

Bunnymund chuckled and lightly flicked her nose. "Because I wasn't done yet. I was _gonna _add that when push comes to shove, you don't disappoint. When people need ya, even if you're scared, you do what ya know you've gotta."

That caught her by surprise. She froze for a brief second before looking up at Bunnymund. The rabbit smiled fondly at the young girl before walking off.

She stared after him, eyebrows raised, before shaking her head vigorously as though that would clear her head. Looking around, she realized that Jack, as well as most of the yetis were gone. Eros had gone and disappeared on her, too. Tooth wasn't there, but she already knew that. The fairy had gone and went to get some dude called 'Sandy'. Which was, most likely, the Sand Man. It was just a guess, but she was pretty confident that she was right...

It was then that she decided it was time to explore. She had time. Not a lot, but still-time is time. And she sure as hell wasn't missing out on this opportunity. She set her trident against Aleksei's stall before rolling up her imaginary sleeves.

"It's _go _time."

Ashley had decided that if she was gonna do this, she was going to do it _right_. She was barrel rolling, she was ducking under tables, she was peeking over walls, and she was crawling through air ducts.

Did she need to?

No.

But was it extremely fun?

_Yes._

But, Ashley was also feeling pretty tired, so when she fell out of one of the air ducts and on the hard, stone ground... She decided that she was done playing. So, ignoring the odd looks from the yetis around her, she got up and limped back to the ice cave.

Aleksei caught sight of her the second she walked through the wooden door, and his ears perked up as he pawed at the door. Ashley smiled as she picked up her pace to get to the excited reindeer.

"Hey, buddy!" She greeted as she unlocked the padlock and swung open the door. Aleksei rushed out and reared up, like he was stretching. He turned to her and seemed to smile at her as he snorted and put his massive head on top of hers. Laughing, she reached up and pat his fluffy neck.

They stayed like that for a while, just standing around. Ashley ran her fingers through the beast's thick fur, and Aleksei would nuzzle her occasionally with a purr. He kind of reminded her of a puppy...

A giant puppy with thick cords of muscle which rippled every time he shifted, huge, pointed antlers, and a scarred face.

After a while, she decided that she wanted to try something. Something _really dumb_...

She decided that she wanted to see if she could ride Aleksei. Because, well... She may or may not have had an epic dream about riding an armored Aleksei into battle, during that nap she'd had.

"Okay, bud," She breathed as she moved over to his side after grabbing her trident. "I'm gonna try something... I'm not trying to hurt you, okay? I promise you that. I would never, ever try to hurt you, you remind me too much of my dog-the one that died when I was ten. Just trust me, alright?"

Aleksei gave her a rather unsure look, but didn't move away from her.

Silently praying that he wouldn't go crazy and break her insides, she grabbed a fistful of fur and scrambled up his side, only almost falling twice. Aleksei shifted a bit, but he didn't seem to mind.

When she was seated well enough, she stopped to breathe, and check for any damage he may or may not have done to her. And, _holy crap_, she was okay! And so was Aleksei! He was cool with it, and that was way more than she had hoped for!

Ashley got a big grin on her face, and Aleksei turned his head to look at her from the corner of his eye. She felt like she was four again, when her dad had convinced her to get on that fucking _giant _horse. She felt really small, just like when she was four, but this time she had the benefit of trust. She wasn't on a random giant horse that had no clue who she was.

Leaning forward, she patted his massive neck. "Hey, Aleksei," She said slowly, "Do you wanna go for a quick run?"

He seemed to grin at her, and snorted as he lifted and lowered his head in a nod, quite similarly to a how a horse would.

A thought hit her, and she cocked her head to the side. "Do you... Do you, uh... You know how to get out of here without flying?"

He looked back at her. Taking that as a 'yes,' she nodded and gestured for him to go. "Well then, I'll let you get to it. Just try not break anything, okay...?"

Aleksei snorted and pawed at the ground before charging at the door, making it bust open. Ashley yelped and tightened her hold on his mane when she almost fell off. Nearby yetis gaped at the sight.

Making sure that she wouldn't fall off, he glanced back at her for confirmation. When she nodded, he grunted and started galloping through North's workshop.

It was chaos. Yetis scrambled away as the huge beast dodged, ducked, and leaped over anything that was in the way. Ashley heard several protests, and she was _pretty _sure that she heard North yell somewhere in all the noise. But she still couldn't stop the huge grin on her face as the air smacked her in the face, and made her hair fly wildly behind her.

She whooped and gained enough confidence to hold on with one hand, raising her trident in the air with laugh. Adrenaline pulsed through her veins as Aleksei made a sharp turn, and began racing towards a large, opened window. He leaped out of the window, and crashed onto the snow, sending the stuff into the air as he ran through snow drifts.

As Aleksei and Ashley ran through the snow, with her cheering and laughing the whole time, North, Zach, Bunnymund, Jack Frost, Eros (who had disappeared to god knows where until that very moment), and a large amount of yetis ran to window-half expecting Ashley to be a bloody heap in the snow.

But she wasn't.

North had never seen Aleksei so... _friendly_. Even with North himself, the beast seemed to have a strained relationship that, at times, seemed awfully one-sided. Aleksei was the largest of the reindeer, and definitely the strongest without question. But he was also the meanest, and tended to have random as well as frequent bursts of violent anger when close to any living creature. Which, in extent, meant that he was also the loneliest. There was not a single yeti that didn't shy away from the unpredictable bull.

The huge man didn't know why Aleksei was taking such a liking to the new spirit of courage. And the man usually didn't like not knowing things, but in this case, he would let it go. The beast had finally found someone, someone who could tame him, if just a bit, and could manage him. She didn't shy away in fear from Aleksei, and Aleksei almost _fell over_ in his rush to avoid hurting her. He had _never _done that before...

"That is something," North hummed, stroking his beard as he watched the girl and the beast. "I have never seen Aleksei so... _happy_. Nor have I seen anyone so relaxed around Aleksei..."

Zach grinned up at North. "That's just Ashley. She makes friends with people that you wouldn't _believe_. There was this one guy in our neighborhood, people said he would murder you if you just _looked_ at him. But she made friends with him. She could run up to him and punch him in the arm, and he would just smile. No one had ever even _seen _him smile before, until she got to him."

North looked down at the young boy and smiled fondly as he patted his head. "Yes, it vould appear so." The large man turned to the yetis. "Vhat are ve standing around for? Christmas is around corner! Get back to vork!"

One of the yetis went to a table with hundreds of toy trains that were all painted red. The yeti picked up one of the trains and started to put the finishing touches of red, just as North walked over.

"I don't like it!" North told him, "Make it blue!"

The yeti's jaw dropped as North lead Zach away to finish the tour. The yeti made various hand motions and gasping, choking noises (like he was trying to protest but couldn't find the words) before pushing all of the trains off the table with a frustrated yell. He slammed his head down on the table as Jack grinned at the poor yeti.

"I would hate to be you..." Jack chuckled. The yeti grumbled under it's breath angrily. Turning his attention back to Bunnymund, he stopped short.

Bunnymund was looking out the window with a undeniably _proud,_ but also weary look on his face. The winter spirit looked over as well, trying to see what was making the old Pooka look so... _old_.

Aleksei had stopped running. Now, Ashley and Aleksei were looking over the ice canyons as she talked quietly to the reindeer, running her fingers through his mane. With the way the sun was positioned behind them, and the serene look on her face as she looked over the ice and snow, Jack could actually believe that she was what she was for the first time since he'd met her. He could see her as a powerful ally and friend, and as a dangerous enemy to any foes she might meet.

It made the teen's stomach feel kind of funny... And Eros kept giving the teen this _weird_ smile. It kind of unnerved him. And his stomach would _not _stop jumping around...

Maybe he'd drunk some bad milk...

* * *

Unfortunately, North and Phil the yeti made Ashley and Aleksei come inside after a while... Even worse, Phil made her bring Aleksei back to the ice cave, even though she hated confining her friend to that small box. After she said goodbye, she had a thought. She looked back at the reindeer, and they looked back at her.

North, she realized, was going to take these guys against The Nightmare King. _Unprotected._What kind of crap is that?! They were certainly strong enough to have some form of armor while they pulled the sleigh... They weren't any ordinary reindeer, after all... Maybe North was too busy to do it...?

Ashley perked up as an imaginary light bulb went on above her head. _She_ could do it! She couldn't stitch worth a damn, but hell-she had taken a metal-working class (it had sounded cooler than a woodworking class) in high school! And maybe, _just maybe_, she could see if North had a few yetis to spare. She could _do _this!

She gave a laugh that bordered on being manic, before running out the doors, nearly poking a yeti in the arse in her rush. Yelling back an apology, she continued on her way. She was running for a bit, before she realized that, _oh yeah_, she had no idea where North was. Skidding to a stop, she asked the nearest yeti where Santa was. He cocked his head to the side, but gruffly told her he was in the Globe Room. She got directions before continuing on her merry way, dodging yetis and flying toys.

Yeah... When she finally got up _all_ those stairs, she was... she was pretty out of breath. Like, she had to stop and compose herself before going out into the globe room. It made her realize... She was either _really _out of shape, or hungry.

As her stomach took the time to roar and curse at her, Ashley decided that she was probably just hungry. How long had it been since she last ate...?

Her jaw dropped as it hit her. She might've been a bit off, but it had been around _three days_ since she had last eaten anything! How was she still _alive?!_She normally couldn't function without any food, but here she was! Alive and well! If you don't count the hungry part as being unwell, of course, but still!

Ashley started to head back to search for some food, but stopped herself. No, she _couldn't _go and get food because if she did, she'd forget about the armor thing! Damnit... oh well.

She'd live.

Maybe...

She walked into the 'Globe Room' only to drop her trident. "Woah..." She breathed.

Huge and highly detailed columns ran from the ceiling to the floor. Confetti was all over the place (North must like the stuff) in the air. The _coolest_ little round lights floated through the air at a leisurely pace. Tapestries hung from the ceilings. There was a freaking _huge_ fireplace, and another tapestry above it, with a picture of North fighting a black bear. And the ceiling, man, it seemed to be never ending! The whole place was just _magical_. She was seeing and doing more in a day than she used to in a _year_...

As awed as she was, she had forgotten about what she had come there in the first place. North raised an eyebrow and looked around for a minute, waiting for her to respond. When she didn't, he cleared his throat as Zach giggled at her face.

Ashley shook her head like it would clear her thoughts and looked up at the bearded man. "Right, right, I was doing something," She muttered quickly, clearing her throat. "So, uh... I was thinking."

"That's a precarious pastime, Ashley," Zach teased lightly. "You know you shouldn't do that."

She narrowed her eyes at the boy and pounded her fist into her open palm playfully before turning back to North. "I noticed that your reindeer are awfully... _bare_, to be going up against the big boss. Have you ever considered... having armor made for them...?"

North raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Armor... for reindeer?" He paused and scratched his head. "Vell... Yes. Yes, I have considered it. But I have no time-"

"-I could do it!" Ashley quickly told him. "I took a metal-working class! Heck, I even designed some horse armor for the main project! _And _I got an A! Horses and reindeer aren't all that different, I could do it-easy peasy."

The large man hummed as he stroked his beard. "I am not sure..."

"Come on," She reasoned, "I won't put so much junk on them that they won't be able to walk. Just some more protection. Hell-I-I mean heck, I'll even put original designs on every set! Come on... I don't like not doing anything, I like to keep my hands busy. I'm doing it for _free_. All I ask is a yeti or two, measurements of each of the reindeer, a place to do my thing, and some metal to work with."

He studied her for a few seconds before nodding. "I suppose I could spare two yetis, and I have forge in lowest part or vorkshop. It vould not hurt to have you try."

Ashley grinned and fist pumped to herself as North walked past her to the yetis that were standing guard. He picked out two yetis and spoke to them quietly, gesturing back to her occasionally. The yetis nodded and walked back over with North.

"These two vill help you."

She looked them over. One of them, she recognized. It was _Phil_. Cool. The other one was smaller, and quite different than the usual yeti's she had seen so far. He was considerably smaller, and his shih-tzu style mustache was a lot shorter than she had seen on any yetis. His hair was too short to keep in a ponytail, so it was just kind spiked up. His eyes were a deep brown, his fur was a golden brown color, and had what kind of looked like _war paint _on his face. Like he had dipped his four fingers in red paint and drew it across his face.

"I'm Fitz." The yeti told her. Even his _voice _was a little different. It wasn't quite as deep or accented as all the other yetis, and a little less rough.

Ashley nodded and held out her hand to shake. His whole hand engulfed hers when he shook her hand. "Ashley."

He nodded and Phil stepped forwards. "Righ'. Good ta see ya again, lass. I'll lead ya to th' forge."

The odd group went and moved through the workshop, down a hell of a lot of stairs. They got down the stairs (after what felt like hours) to the lowest floor, and walked up to heavy double doors. Phil and Fitz grunted a they pulled the doors open, and a blast of _horridly _hot air hit Ashley in the face. There was a reddish orange light in the room, and she could see the glint of tools hanging on the wall.

Phil looked at her and gestured in the room. "Well, go on in."

She made a displeased face and held up a finger, telling them to wait a moment. She undid the straps on her shoulder guard and let it fall to the floor before working on the leather cuirass. That fell to the floor, too, as she unstrapped her belt and knee guards. Her shield left, and so did the leather straps and cloth that was wrapped around her left arm.

Once in nothing but a red tank top, jeans, and her combat boots, she heaved a sigh before walking into the hot-ass room.

It was kind of like being in an oven. Except, it was worse. It was loud, the air was thick, and to be anywhere that was ten feet away from the raging forge was just _asking _to stub your toe due to it being the only light source in the room.

_Joy_.

* * *

Ashley glanced over, only to frown and jog over. "What are you doing?!" She shouted over the roaring fire, "You gotta _temper _the steel, Phil!"

He looked over and raised a furry brow. "Why?" He asked loudly, "I's jus' a big waste a' time, lass! It'll take less time to jus' ta skip it!"

She grunted and shook her head, motioning for him to move. She put on some thick, leather gloves before taking the large pliers and motioned back to Fitz. "This isn't about doing it quick, it's about doing it right!" She wiped sweat from her eyes before continuing. "Just go help Fitz with the chain mail! I got this!"

The yeti just shrugged and walked over to the smaller. As she watched him walk away, she groaned. Why was it that Fitz and Phil seemed so unaffected by the heat...? It wasn't fair!

She growled a curse under her breath before getting back to it. She moved the sheet of metal back into the fire. She waited until it was bright red before taking it out and pounding it with a hammer, shaping it to fit the first reindeer. When it matched up to the measurements Fitz had given her and she was happy with it, she placed it in water, which hissed and spat as it cooled the metal. The steam went into her face, making her even _more _hot.

Idly singing under her breath, she placed the metal onto the anvil before walking back and getting the small blowtorch, as well as a welding mask. She slipped on the welding mask and tightened it before slipping it down before beginning to add to the chanfron.

She welded a three inch spike to the center where the forehead would be and placed the metal piece into the water one more time before lifting it in the air with a victorious cry, pride in her voice as she showed off her masterpiece. "_Yes,_I'm finished!"

"Now you just need six or seven more pieces to make!" Fitz told her.

Her smile turned into a face of horror as her arms fell to her sides. "_No_, I still need to finish this set and then do _eight more_! _And _I need to put designs on them!"

Fitz and Phil laughed as Ashley cursed and spat and kicked the ground.

* * *

Ashley was _exhausted_ when she was finally done. She didn't even know how much time had passed since she went in there. She was tired and she was _hella_ hot... But she still felt her heart lift with pride as she dragged herself up the many steps. She had done good on her little project, and she couldn't wait to see her pride and joy in action. She'd had her doubts, but she'd done it, _and _put custom designs on the armor. Every. Single. Piece.

About half way up the steps, she couldn't keep going anymore. She sat on the side of one step, until Fitz came up. He leaned down and raised a furry brow.

"Do ya need some help...?"

"_Please...?_"

Fitz nodded and smiled at her before lifting her and setting her down on one of his wide shoulders. She exhaled and cracked her neck as the two yetis and human made their way up the steps.

"Thanks, Fitz," She breathed as sweat trickled down her arms and face. "I've never been this hot in my entire life..."

Phil laughed from behind them. "Boy, you humans sure are sens'tive..."

She scoffed and kept facing forward. "I'm sorry, I was standing right in front of that forge for _how _long...? While you two were in the back of the room, right in front of the vent, hogging all the fresh air...?"

Phil didn't respond, but Ashley heard him mutter a few curses while Fitz laughed.

She turned and glanced back down the staircase. "Wait, I forgot my armor and my trident..."

Fitz shrugged his other massive shoulder. "We'll get some elves to get it, no worries."

"Thanks."

Fitz looked up at her and smiled. "No prob,' Ash. Thank _you _for gettin' me away from my job for a bit. I love it, but I like ta do other things, too."

She cocked her head to the side. "What do you do...?"

"Oh, I make sure all the guitars work," He replied offhandedly. "It's fun, but I like to take a break ev'ry once in awhile..."

Ashley perked up. "Oh, guitar, eh? Do you have Spanish guitar?"

Fitz scoffed, like he was insulted. "Of _course _I do. And I'm damn good with it, too."

She grinned. "Hey, man, you wanna collaborate with me?"

He hummed and idly scratched his chest. "I dunno... What for?"

"For fun," She answered, "And so I can maybe try to record it for my little bro. He's always liked it when I sing him a Spanish lullaby before bed." She shrugged. "I have no idea _why _he likes it in Spanish better. He can't understand a word of Spanish... And I only understand half of what I sing to him, but..."

He laughed and reached up to pat her leg. "Sure, we could do that. I'll see if I can find you somethin' to record with, and then we could come up with somethin' together."

She smiled gratefully. "Hey, thanks, Fitz. If I weren't so freaking hot, and _you _weren't so freaking hot, I'd hug you."

The yeti grinned up at her. "_I_ should be thankin' _you_. Most of the other yetis don't like jamming with each other. And the ones that do, well... They don't really like doin' it with me very often. They think I'm too young to be out here workin', but I'm still makin' my way, eh?"

"Yeah... And you're doing a pretty damn good at that, too." She told him.

They continued up the stairs until they got up to the Globe Room, where North, Bunny, Jack, Tooth, Eros, Zach, and some other really short dude she had never met before were. Fitz set her down and patted her back before walking off, and Phil walked past her to talk to North while she staggered forward.

She was still _horribly _hot, man, and she really wanted to find a freezer to stick herself in, but she was also sore and lazy. And tired...

As she neared them, she caught eyes with a certain winter spirit, and she got an idea. Why go find a freezer or a window to jump out of into snow, when she had a freezer right in front of her...?

Ashley took a large step closer before suddenly wrapping her arms around the shorter teen in a bear hug, much to his surprise.

It felt _orgasmic..._

... Well, maybe not quite _that_ good. But still, it was _damn_ close. She rested one side of her face against his cold shoulder. "Oh my God, this is amazing," She breathed, letting out a quiet chuckle. "It's like jumping in a freezer, except _colder_."

She heard Jack stutter and Zach snicker, but man, _she didn't care_. Exhaling heavily, she turned her head to cool down the other side.

Jack was, as you can imagine, really surprised. But he really didn't mind it. At all. Because, _holy Man in the Moon_, she was warm, and the winter spirit _craved _warmth. If you were to ask, he would deny it, but it was true. And once he got over his shock, he realized with a start that she was hugging him.

And, well... Three hundred years with minimal amounts of contact and no affection what-so-freaking-ever had done it's toll on the poor kid. When he got hugs, man, he _savored _them. And this was one hug that he knew, from experience, would never grow cold. You'd better believe he wasn't going to look this gift horse in the mouth!

The usually mischievous spirit wrapped his arms around her as well before resting his chin on top of her head with a content sigh. At least, he did, until he noticed Sandy raise a brow at him as a heart formed over his head, then a question mark, as Eros gave the teen a smirk. His face twisted into a look of bewilderment and embarrassment as he had a sudden change of heart, quickly trying to get Ashley off of him.

"Nooo," She groaned tiredly, tightening her hold on the winter spirit, "You feel good, man. Don't make me let go..."

Jack gestured between her and everyone else. "But-but I, but you, but _they_-"

"Forget them," She grunted. "I'm 'bout to have a freaking heatstroke, here. What kind of crap would that be...? The spirit of courage dying from a _heatstroke._ And it would be _your fault. _All because you wouldn't let me hold you. And besides... you know you love it."

"B-but Sandy's here," The teen protested weakly, face flushing a bit as North raised an eyebrow at the teen. "Don't you want to meet him...?"

She muttered obscenities under her breath before straightening. She let the teen go long enough to yawn before picking him up again despite his protests, like he was a large teddy bear, and walked over to the tiny, yellow man while carrying Jack. "Hey," She said, stifling another yawn before looking down at the Guardian. "I'm Ashley. Spirit of Courage. I'm new to the job, and I've gotta go against this dude, Pitch...? I'm told you guys have heard of him and stuff..."

She looked down closer at the little man. His whole body was just different shades of orange and gold. His hair stuck up in a wacky way, and he looked about as tired as her. If not, even _more_. She gave drowsy smile.

"Dude... You look cool. You're supposed to be the Sandman, right?"

The man smiled and nodded, giving a thumbs up as various pictures formed above his head. There was a smiley face, then a bed, and then a question mark. She cocked her head to the side before asking slowly with uncertainty, "Are you asking me if I'm... tired...?"

His eyes lit up, and he nodded vigorously with a big smile.

"_Oh._In that case, then, yes." She answered, "Yes I am. I'm also hungry."

Sandy cocked his head to the side as a bombardment of pictures flashed until coming to a stop at a question mark. She had caught a miniature her, a hamburger, a fire, and a... heart...?

She blinked and looked from Sandy to Bunnymund, who just shrugged unhelpfully. Looking back at Sandy, she cocked her head to the side. "Uh... I... I didn't quite catch that... Sorry...?"

Sandy got a rather annoyed look on his face, puffing out his cheeks and looking at the ground in impatience before waving her off. He gave her a silent 'it's okay'.

"I'm pretty sure this counts as harassment," Jack voiced meekly.

Rolling her eyes, Ashley let go of Jack. He started to move away, but paused once the heat left him, and his lips tugged down.

Ashley saw this, and rolled her eyes as she threw her arm over his shoulders. "Look, just stick around for a bit more, okay? It won't kill you, and it would make me feel a _lot _better. Just chill... be cool, man."

The teen scoffed and lightly elbowed her side. "I'm the _king _of cool."

She snorted. "You're awfully short to be a king, Frosty." She retorted with a smirk. Bunnymund snickered and covered a laugh with a cough.

"Hey, it's not my fault I didn't finish growing!" He protested, insulted. "And I'll have you know that I was considered to be really tall in my time!"

Rolling her eyes, she shot Zach a mischievous look before turning back to the teen. "Mm-hmm..." She hummed condescendingly. "Yeah, I'll bet you were..."

"I was!"

"_Sure_, Frost." She turned back to North. "By the way, me and the yetis finished the armor. _All of it_. You can go look at 'em whenever you want." She couldn't help but puff up her chest a bit in pride. "We did pretty good, if I do say so myself."

"I bet it sucks..." Jack muttered.

Ashley froze before pulling a Stewie Griffin, and turning her head slowly to face him. She narrowed her eyes, partially playing, partially not. "Do you wanna take this outside...? Because we _can_. I'm down for it, Frost."

He smirked and gestured to himself. "Oh, I don't think you handle _all this_."

"Ohoho, clever... Quoting me like you just did... That must have taken _all night _for you to come up with..." She said before leaning closer, narrowing her eyes playfully. "Try me." She rumbled. Zach, thank Slendy for him, limped forwards and grabbed Ashley by the arm.

"Maybe," The young boy said slowly, "Maybe you shouldn't do this."

She looked down at her brother and gave him a disbelieving look. "What?! But-but he's _begging _for it!"

"I know, I know," He told her as a grin crossed his face, "But if you two fight, I... I won't know who to root for. And it's not fun to watch you fight someone unless I can make a bet."

Ashley gave him a mortified, insulted look. "_What?!_ You won't know who to root for?!" She lightly pushed Jack away before picking up the boy, crutches and all. "You! You! _You!_You traitor! Why would you vote for anyone that isn't me-I kick donkey booty!"

Zach laughed and wrapped his arms around her neck. "Well, Jack _is _the spirit of winter. He could just freeze you to the ground."

She groaned dramatically as she waved an arm around in exasperation. "But-you-I-what-I'd just break out of the ice! I'm a freaking mobile heater, kiddo! It'd melt quick enough!"

"You don't know that," The boy giggled at her antics. "Maybe Jack Frost is the one person who can match up to you..."

She shot her head to said teen. "Do you see what you do?! You turn my own baby against me!" She made a noise of false disgust and put the boy on the ground, turning to face one of the columns with her arms crossed as she fumed and pouted to herself silently.

Zach laughed and put his crutches down before jumping on her back, wrapping his arms around her neck. "Don't pout..."

"I'm not pouting." She grumbled, hunching her shoulders more as the boy nuzzled her neck.

"Yes you are," Zach told her with a smile, "You know I was kidding... You're the best."

Ashley gave in and chuckled as she straightened up. "Yeah, I know... I just still like to hear you say it every once in awhile," She admitted playfully as she hoisted him up better and wrapped her arms around his legs. "It makes me feel like a special snowflake."

North gave a hearty laugh and hit Bunnymund on the back, who winced, one eye twitching as his ears folded back. "I alvays love having guests! They make things more... _exciting_."

Ashley grinned. "You bet, North! I'm the life of the freakin' party!"

Zach rolled his eyes. "Yeah, she kinda is," He agreed, "She knows how to keep things moving, that's for sure."

She reached up and ruffled her baby's hair. Man, she couldn't _believe _just how much better she felt, being able to talk and touch the kid...

She was so fuckin' whipped, man...

But to be honest, she didn't really mind it.

* * *

"You found me bongos."

"Yup."

Ashley looked up at the Yeti and sighed contentedly. "You're awesome, Fitz. You know that?"

Fitz chuckled as he tuned his guitar. "Yup."

She hopped on an empty spot on the table, and messed around on the drums until Fitz was done tuning. When he was done, he cleared his throat and looked over at the girl.

"Alright, so we got the beat. Where's Phil?" The yeti asked curiously. "He said he'd meet us here..."

"Ah'm righ' 'ere, Fitz."

Both Fitz and Ashley jumped up with a yelp.

"When did you even _get_ here?!" Ashley asked bewilderedly as she clutched her racing heart. "Shit, was that _completely _necessary?!"

Phil smirked at the girl. "Ye'h. It kinda was. And I've been 'ere quite a while, actually."

She scowled and playfully moved her hands like she was going to choke him, only to stop and drop her hands back to the bongos. "What did you want, anyways?"

The yeti gave a smile, a real one this time, and held up a light blue electric guitar. "I heard ya two talkin', and I'd like ta jam wit' ya, if you'll let me."

Ashley looked over at Fitz, who was more or less, beaming like a kid in a candy shop. _Meh..._If he was cool with it, so was she. "Okay, sure," She told Phil, "I don't mind if Fitz doesn't."

"You better believe I don't mind it!" The young yeti squeaked in his excitement.

Phil chuckled and nodded. "Alrigh'y then. I heard ya two goin' over what ya were plannin' ta do. I was thinkin', and I'm pretty sure that I can keep up, without a problem."

She nodded. "Alright. We ready?"

They nodded, and Ashley pressed the record button on the nearby radio while Fitz began plucking at the chords. Phil joined in, and the two played together before Ashley joined in with the bongos. A group quickly began forming around the odd group, including all the guardians, Eros, _and _Zach pushed their way to the front. Nervousness bubbled in her stomach. She'd never sang for more than three people at a time...

Ashley shook her head vigorously. Being nervous was for _squares_. She wasn't a square, man, she was an oval!

_Solo tu sufristes nadie mas_  
_sera asi? tan mal la oscuridad_  
_Ya que piensas, quedas tan perdido?_  
_This is just a part of what I've given_

_Paz adonde vaz_  
_Ya que no estas aqui_  
_Al lado mio_  
_Dejame Quisas_  
_You'll say it's O.K._  
_It's O.K._

_Here is the end_  
_And only your eyes_  
_Can make everything alright_  
_Here is the end_  
_And nothing that I can say_

_What I want?_  
_Nothing more_  
_Than you to live again_

_Llegua Y no te vas_  
_Me gritas mas_  
_Por que_  
_Estoy perdido_  
_Eres lo mejor_  
_Y yo me voy_  
_Por que me quedo frio_  
_Lo que me duele mas_  
_Es que lla nunca bailas_

_Here is the end_  
_And only your eyes_  
_Can make everything alright_  
_Here is the end_  
_And nothing that I can say_

_What I want?_  
_Nothing more_  
_Than you to live again_

At that point, Phil and Fitz had their little guitar solo, and Ashley went and had her fun with her bongos. Like, full-out drum solo. Not a single one of them had planned to do so, but they just kind of attuned to each other and knew what was going to happen. It worked out well enough, anyways...

_Here is the end_  
_And only your eyes_  
_Can make everything alright_  
_Make it alright..._  
_Here is the end_  
_And nothing that I can say_

_What I want?_  
_Nothing more_  
_Than you to live again..._

It drew to a close, and Fitz pushed to record button again to stop it before Ashley broke out into a laugh, jumping up on the table and making up a random, happy beat.

"Yeah, baby!" She grinned. "That's how we _do!_" Jumping down on the table, she put the drums on the table before walking forward and lifting Zach in a hug, spinning him around a couple of times. "How was that?"

The boy beamed and nuzzled her neck. "Awesome," He told her, voice muffled. "It was _awesome_."

"_And _I got it recorded," She informed him happily, cheeks warming at the praise. "So you won't have to suffer Frost's poor attempt at a Spanish lullaby when I'm not around."

Zach leaned back a bit and gave her that look. The one that was filed to the brim with admiration and adoration, the one that made her feel all _fuzzy _inside. "I love you."

Ashley nuzzled the top of his head. "I love ya, too, kiddo. You're my best bud, and don't you forget it..." She glanced over the boy's head at the Guardians. Sandy gave her a big smile and two thumbs ups while a rose made of sand formed above his head and flew to her feet.

She grinned sheepishly and shrugged. "I can't play anything, but I can sure pound some percussion, huh?" Walking over to Jack, she jabbed her finger in his chest. "_That _is how you sing a Spanish lullaby, Frost."

The teen scoffed and rubbed the spot on his chest where she had jabbed him. "Who are you kidding? That was _weak..._"

Bunnymund hopped over and cuffed the spirit of winter in the back of the head. "Don't listen to him, Ash. Bloody clacker don't know a thing..."

Santa beamed at the woman and nodded. "Vas very good, Ashvey! You must sing for us as entertainment, no?"

She chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of her neck. "Uh, _no_... I'm not much of a singer. You could get Fitz or Phil to do it, though..."

North made a noise of disappointment as Zach let out a long yawn. Ashley raised an eyebrow and swooped the boy into her arms, despite his quiet, half-hearted protests.

"I think it's high-time for the little guy to get some sleep," Ashley said quietly. "There's been a lot going on, and I _know _he couldn't have been gettin' too much sleep, lately. North, do you have somewhere for the bugger to sleep?" The man nodded, and Jack stepped forward.

"I come over and visit sometimes," Jack informed her. "I can show you where the rooms are."

She shrugged and nodded. "Alright, cool. Grab his crutches and the radio for me, will ya?"

* * *

As Ashley pulled the covers over the exhausted boy, Zach tried to stop her.

"No Ashley, I don't wanna go to sleep," He protested weakly. She rolled her eyes and ruffled his hair.

"Kiddo, even a _blind _man could tell that you're tired." She told him gently. "Just go to sleep, alright?"

Fear flashed in his eyes, and he shook his head. "I don't want to!" _Oh_. Oh yeah, the fearlings...

Ashley's lips tugged down and she leaned closer. "You're afraid you're going to get nightmares, aren't ya?" The boy nodded, and she sighed. "You're safe here, Little Z, don't you worry 'bout a thing."

He averted her eyes and stared at the blanket. "I... How do you know that...?"

She scoffed. "Because if they do bother you, I'll kick their arses so hard they'll walk backwards." He didn't look very reassured, so she rolled her eyes before saying gently. "Me and Fitz talked some. He said he'll come and check on ya when I'm not here. Fitz'll take care of you, little buddy."

Zach shrugged one shoulder and looked up at her, almost shy as he asked meekly. "Will... Will you lay here with me until I fall asleep...?"

She gave an unladylike snort and nodded. "Shoot yeah I will. Why are you asking me like I'll say no? You know I won't..." She jumped on the bed besides the boy and threw her arm over his shoulder. "I gotcha, babe. Ain't no monsters coming to get you tonight, or any other night... Not while I'm here."

"Promise...?"

"Promise." She confirmed softly. Zach sighed quietly and snuggled into her side.

Jack Frost gave her a look from his spot, leaning against the wall. Ashley saw it, and her face warmed up as she silently threatened him. She cut her finger across her neck then pointed at him violently.

Man, sometimes... Sometimes Ashley hated kids. Kids make her all... _squishy_.

* * *

**Author's Note~**

**Wow, this one was long... And Ashley still hasn't made Jack his hot chocolate yet :C But anyways, this one was... kind of a filler. It was the moment of calm before the storm begins. After this, SHIT GETS REAL, YO.**

**Ahem, so uh... Thanks to everyone that's favorited, followed, reviewed, and read. I really do appreciate it :) I _still_get all excited when I get just one email in my inbox.  
**

**As always, tell me if I made any mistakes in here. As long as it is, I honestly doubt that I didn't make a mistake in here somewhere. I hope you got a few laughs out of my goofy little story! Oh, and the song was _Estoy Perdido_ by _Ill__ Nino._  
**

**,_BlueAsh666_  
**


	13. Chapter 13

"Hmm... Not bad." North hummed as he stroked his beard.

Ashley made a strangled noise before turning and looking up at North bewilderedly. "Not bad? _Not bad?!_" She turned away from the huge man, like she couldn't even stand to _look _at him. "You insult me!"

The man gave a hearty laugh before hitting her on her back. "I vas just kidding! Is great, truly."

She bit back a scream as her eyes widened, and she bent forward while putting her hands on her knees. "My _spine!_" She wheezed. Tooth winced and placed a hand gently on the girl's shoulder as Eros snickered under his breath.

North walked towards one of the reindeer and inspected the armor. It was pretty basic stuff, really, but it was efficient. A horse-or rather, _reindeer _blanket under a layer of chain mail, to keep the mail from getting caught in the fur or pinching skin. Then, simple plate armor over the chest and rump, neck, and the front of the face. Tribal markings ran across every piece of plate armor, and were a few shades darker than the metal. It was a nice touch... And the reindeer didn't seem to be encumbered by the armor at all, which was more than he had hoped for.

As North observed the reindeer, oohing and aahing, a low rumble akin to thunder cracked in the ice cave. Ashley straightened up and looked to side to see, _who else_, Slendy.

"Ah, there you are," Ashley said with a roll of her eyes. "I figured you were about due. So, anything else that's absolutely _enthralling _to tell me...? Do ya wanna run over my soul with a hummer, maybe...?"

Slendy paused and cocked his faceless head to the side. "I... What is this hummer that you speak of...? What..." He shook his head. "Never mind it. I am not here for you, young one. I come with news for Eros. He said that he wished for me to keep him informed..."

The girl raised an eyebrow. _Well..._

Eros stepped forward, being uncharacteristically serious. "What is it, sir?"

"Things are not getting better," Slendy informed the winged man solemnly. "Rebellion was wounded. Without him, fear is becoming stronger... The humans are very tense, now. North Korea has announced a missile testing, and many humans want to simply bomb North Korea and be done with it. And we are all aware of what will happen if this is the path the humans decide to follow... We need assistance, but we have none. It is a horrible battle, but we have lost none... _yet_."

The ginger winced and scratched at the scruff of his neck. "Shit." He muttered lowly.

Ashley looked between Eros to Slendy, before stopping her eyes at Slendy and waving her arms around incredulously. "Am I invisible or something?! _Hello!_I'm right here, yo! Spirit of courage-ring a bell? I could help you!"

"You are not strong en-"

"-Bull shit!" She told him frustratedly, slamming her trident on the ground. "I have a score to settle with this ass, Pitch. He is goin' _down_."

Slendy heaved a sigh and leaned down to be more level with her face. "Believe me, young one... This is not something you would want to be in. If you saw how terrible things are, you would immediately wish you would have listened to me, and stayed out of the war until you were _truly _ready."

"War ain't a pretty sight," Bunnymund agreed, "I reckon it'd be better if you avoided it as long as you could... I'm not quite sure you're ready, Ash..."

She shouldn't have felt insulted, and Ashley knew that. But she did, all the same. She had been in her fair share of fights-hell, she had won three first place trophies and one second place trophy in boxing tournaments, before she quit after being knocked out by some four hundred pound she-man! She had just barely fended off a mugger once, and had to hold her guts in while staggering to a hospital! She had freaking _died_! How was she not ready?!

Maybe it was her pride. Maybe it was her stubbornness. But being told that she wasn't ready just _really_ irked her. So, she turned to Eros and gave him a look. "Eros... Ginger... You _know_ you guys need help. I'm the spirit of _courage_. I can kill the fearlings, easy. We don't have to stay there long. Just a quick reinforcement, to give your guys a bit of a rest, and then we can fly outta there."

If Slendy could have frowned, he would have. "_Ashley_." He rumbled, warning in his usually mellow voice. He started to say something else, but stopped suddenly and his head shifted a bit like he was listening to something. A crease formed between where eyebrows would be, and he gave a heavy, almost sad sigh. "I cannot stop you..." He straightened up. "Eros, take her to the battlefield. You know where it is."

As soon as Slendy said that, _everyone _jerked in surprise. Except for Sandy... He had remained neutral, except for the flashes of... guilt...? In his eyes...

"Vhat?! You have just told her she could not go! Vhy the change of heart?!" North questioned. At this question, Slendy led North away from the group.

"I do not want her to." Slendy said quietly, an almost _mournful_ tone in his voice. "But fate has other plans. There is something... Something that must happen, and it _will_, no matter what anyone does to prevent it. I have seen all outcomes, and to do this would be best for her."

North frowned and looked back at Ashley, who was watching the two of them curiously. He looked back over at Slendy and frowned. "Something bad vill happen, yes?"

Slendy nodded. "Yes. Do not try to stop it, North. It will only worsen the matter. The only thing you can do for her is to go to the battle with her and Eros. Will you?"

The huge man suddenly looked much older. His seemed so much more weary, and his eyes lost some of its sparkle. North didn't want to, but... when told by _him_ to do something, one _does _it. "I suppose so..."

The Slenderman-esque being nodded, and with a flash of light and a distant rumble, he was gone.

North cleared his throat and quickly composed himself, setting his face with a determined look before turning to the rest of the group and clapping his hands together. "Ve have fight on our hands. Eros, you take Ashvey and ve vill support you from zhe back as needed."

Bunnymund furrowed his eyebrows together and frowned. "What? I thought... I thought we were against Ash goin'! Why the change of heart, mate? I thought you were with me on this!"

North gave the rabbit a look. It simply said '_we must do this, no questions asked_'. North had never given Bunnymund such an intense look as that... So, against his better judgement, the old pooka decided to follow North's lead.

Ashley... Well, she didn't quite know _what_ to make of all of it. She wasn't _glad_ that she had gotten her way. Her dad had told her stories of his father in World War I, she wasn't stupid... But she _was _comforted in the fact that they didn't think her incapable of helping. Because she really did want to help... and kick this Pitch guy's ass. But just... the looks she had caught from North kind of... unnerved her.

Or maybe that was just her insides twisting with fear at the fact that _Eros_ was flying her...

* * *

Ashley dropped to the ground with a yelp, and a meek '_oops!_' voiced above her. She rolled to her side and used her trident to push herself up.

"I hate you." Ashley grumbled sourly, before looking around.

The sky was dark and gloomy. Eros had taken her to a huge field that seemed to stretch on for miles, with golden grasses that moved with the wind.

Eros grabbed her by the shoulder and turned her. "Come on. The guys are this way."

The two walked back a bit, until she caught sight of six people hanging around a fire, near the treeline. Eros walked past her to talk to them, and Ashley realized with a start that there was dried blood on the ground before following Eros. She heard the sleigh land behind her, and North grunt as he hopped out onto the ground.

"Ve have come to assist you, friends!" North bellowed as he walked forwards, besides Ashley. "Just as you have once assisted us!"

One scrawny, rather scraggly looking man with black hair, stubble, and a scrape on his temple scoffed. "You must be mistaken, North. We've never helped you..." He only had on some baggy jean shorts and some Nike's. His whole torso, both his arms, and his neck was covered in tattoos. He had an AR 15 at his side, and a cigarette in his mouth.

North placed his massive hand on Ashley's shoulder. "Not you specifically, but... _one _of you helped us. In fact, if that one did not help us, ve vould not be here today."

"So stop whining and just say 'thank you,' Nate." Eros finished. The man grunted shortly before snapping a twig and throwing it into the fire.

A woman that was around Ashley's age, maybe older, with blonde hair and bright blue eyes stood up and walked over. She studied Ashley a bit, cocking her head to the side. "You're the new spirit of courage?" Ashley nodded. "I imagined you to be... taller. But still, it's great to have another girl around!"

The woman hugged her, and Ashley froze up. _What the hell_, she thought to herself before shrugging it off and awkwardly patting the other woman's back, looking around for help. "Uh, yeah... nice to meet you too... I'm Ashley."

The woman pulled away and beamed. "I'm Alice! The spirit of curiosity-What happened to your face?"

Ashley shot Eros a look before saying slowly, "I got in a car crash... Uh, do you mind... giving me a little space...?"

Alice jumped up, like she had forgotten about the aspect of personal space. "Oh! Right, sorry..."

Ashley shrugged in response. "It's alright. So, why are you guys out here? I mean, I kinda figured that the fight would be in a city..."

"It's because we've been trying to keep your ass safe!" Nate spat from his seat, only to get elbowed in the side by the huge black man besides him.

"Lay off, Nate." The man rumbled. It was a three word sentence, but it shut Nate up right quick. The man was in a ratty old sleeveless shirt that had stains, and plain brown work pants, no shoes. He had ebony skin and was clean shaven with hazel green eyes and short, _ginger _hair. Almost like Eros' hair, except a few shades darker. The man looked up at Ashley and nodded once in greeting before gesturing to himself. "'M Francisco. Spirit of freedom. Nate's the spirit of sin."

"It's not sin, yo!" Nate scowled. "It's balance! I'm the motherfuckin' spirit of _balance_, damnit!"

Francisco smirked at the much smaller man before looking over at Ashley and patting the ground besides him.

Ashley glanced back at the Guardians behind her before shrugging and plopping onto the ground. Alice cleared her throat before announcing loudly, "Everyone! This is Ashley! The girl that Vergil chose to be the next spirit of courage! Be nice, be polite... _Especially you, Nate_."

"I'm the politest and nicest guy I know!" Nate snickered before snorting and spitting a loogie into the fire, making it crackle and pop.

The man across from Nate made a disgusted face. "Lovely..." He was a middle-aged man, with graying hair, stubble, and tired eyes. He was in a gray pinstripe suit that must have had one of the arms ripped off by a fearling. His one bare arm had bright purple bruises on it. He gave a small wave to Ashley. "Hey, I'm David. The spirit of common sense..."

Ashley couldn't help but say a smart comment. "Oh, common sense, eh? Where've you been the past four years?" Maybe he'd end up hating her, but _oh well_.

Luckily for her, he didn't. In fact, he _laughed_. "I ask myself that all the time, kid, believe me... You're alright. I'll give you that."

The guy besides David looked at her, studying her closely. "Yer kinda small..." He had a healthy gut, biceps bigger than her head, and a full beard with a handlebar mustache. He had small, round glasses, and a blacksmith's apron over a soot-streaked t-shirt, as well as thick leather gloves. Jeans, and a small-er-ish sledgehammer that had one end come to a brutal spike hung on his belt. "But you seem alright, I guess... I'm Vulcan. Spirit a' creation. I'd introduce you to the Cap'n Sea-Blood, but he's wandered off again..."

Raising an eyebrow, she started to ask who this '_Cap'n_' person was, but was cut off by a rough voice that came from above. "Ahoy, mates! There be the bastardous fearlings on the horizon!"

Ashley saw a flash through the trees from the corner of her eye, and heard a loud thump before turning to see what in the _hell _that was.

Turns out, it was a _pirate_, of all things. Ashley could scarcely believe her eyes as the tall, stout man stood up, and a freaking _lemur _crawled around his torso onto his shoulder. The man had an eye patch over his right eye, and was in one of those white, poofy shirts that pirates wear in the movies under a black vest with gold lining and buttons. A scar ran under his other eye. A curved sword hung on his belt, and he had the knee high black boots that had light tan trousers tucked into them. But, that was where the pirate resemblance stopped, because he was... well, he was kind of attractive, actually. Windswept hair that was a mix between gold and bronze, and jagged facial hair that lined his chin.

The man pulled out a one of those old-timey pistols and his sword and stepped forward, mouth opening into a battle cry, only to have his face twist with pain as he collapsed to the ground, spitting and swearing as Vulcan ran to help the man.

"You damn fool, Cap'n!" The bearded man scolded, "Yer still hurt!"

"Blast it all, I can still fight! I can still fight better than all of ye put together!" He tried to take another step, only to grimace and lean down as he clutched his abdomen. "_Damnit!_"

Alice went over as well to help the cursing pirate. "Calm _down_, Captain!"

The man, apparently 'Captain Sea-Blood' got red in the face as he snarled. "I'll calm down when I've gone six feet under, ye swab! I'll calm down when the fate of the world ain't at stake!"

Ashley stood up and twirled her trident in her hand. "Don't you worry, bud. We've got it, this round. You just calm down and try not to hurt yourself."

"And just _who _do ye think ye are?!"

She cracked her neck before shrugging one shoulder. "No one special... Just the spirit of courage and the Guardians of childhood." She smirked when a look of shock overcame the Captain's face, and turned, strolling leisurely to line up with the Guardians in front of the sleigh.

Taking place between Bunnymund and Tooth, she tightened one of the straps on her shield before looking over at the approaching stampede of fearlings.

"It's time to fuck shit up." Ashley hummed in a singsong voice.

* * *

Jack Frost froze a fearling solid, and took a brief second to grin to himself triumphantly before turning. He jerked back as he came face to face with another fearling, features twisted darkly at him mid-leap. It was too late for the teen to do anything, and he _knew _it as he held up his staff protectively and squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the beast to crash into him with the force of a sixteen-wheeler.

But nothing came. Jack opened his eyes, only to see the fearling, inches away. It stood stone-still, before collapsing to it's side, trident embedded into the side of the fearling. As the nightmare burst into light, he looked over and saw Ashley.

She grinned at the teen and gave a two fingered salute before turning to take another on, only to stop short at the realization that she had _thrown her only freaking weapon, shit!_

Two more fearlings caught sight of the girl, and snorted angrily before charging at her. Seeing no other option, she smashed the closest one in the face before leaping out of the other nightmare's way. She rolled to her feet and got ready to tackle the thing, only to a stop. It was a few feet away, frozen in mid-jump. Her trident stuck into the ground in front of her.

"You stole my kill, Frost!" Ashley complained before turning and slicing another nightmare in the side, briefly shielding her eyes as it rolled to the dirt and exploded into light.

The winter spirit laughed and gave a two fingered salute in a mocking manner. "You're welcome!" He sang before flying away.

She scoffed and shook her head. "I didn't need my trident anyways..." Her skin sprouted with fur as she grew taller and thicker, until she was a bear. She stopped for a moment to watch in fascination as her trident melted into a gold liquid and seep into her feet. _Huh_... so that's what happens to her trident... It _probably_ should have freaked her out, but... she didn't really have the right to freak out. She had just turned into a _bear_, after all...

The huge white bear stood on her hind legs and let out a roar before running into the thick of the fearlings. She slammed into them, slashed them, and, at one point, bit one... only to immediately spit it out in disgust.

"You guys are pains in the ass!" She snarled as she slammed one to the ground before stomping on it's head with her massive paw. "The least you could do is _taste _good! But do I get that?! Nooo..."

She tore through those fearlings faster than she could tear through a pot of coffee. And _that _was fast... Together, the Guardians and Ashley thinned the ranks of nightmares.

It had almost appeared as though they were winning...

But they weren't.

Ashley heard a shout, and looked up. She shrunk down, and her fur melted away until she was human again. Picking up her trident, she stood up straight as a huge, inky shadow ran across the field, ever closer. As the shadow grew closer, the huge wall of black grew taller. A hushed silence filled the air as a light breeze ran through the air.

She wasn't sure what it was at first... A huge tsunami wave, maybe...?

Unfortunately, she wasn't that lucky... As it got closer, she realized that thousands of thousands of little orange lights were in the tsunami wave. It wasn't a wave caused by shifting tectonic plates. It was a nuclear bomb. But instead of fire and radiation, it had nightmares. A _lot _of nightmares.

"Holy shit, man." She muttered as the wall of nightmares reared up. She was the closest one to the wave of fearlings, and they had all set their targets on her. "That's a lot of ponies..."

There was a roar of screams as they closed in on her, like all the banshees in the world had joined in a choir. If the situation weren't so dire, and if she'd had one, Ashley would have turned a stereo on some nice rock and put the volume up as loud as it could go before putting it right next to her poor, poor ears.

However, she couldn't do that. So, she did the only thing she could. She held up her trident, shielded her face as best she could, and let out a battle cry as she squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for death.

But it didn't come. Which meant that, unfortunately, she still had to suffer the fearling's incessant and _highly_ unnecessary screeching. But she was more focused on the fact that _she wasn't dead_.

She should have been freaking out when she saw why she wasn't dead. But hey, living was living. She was _not _gonna complain... There was a strange bubble around her, that faintly glowed, and dulled the stupid nightmares screeching. Not by a lot, but it was still a hell of a lot better than nothing... The fearlings raced and circled the bubble, and every once in awhile one would slam into it.

With every hit, Ashley would wince, and she felt a bit weaker. Then she began noticing the _cracks_. And, she... well, she panicked a bit. Her palms got sweaty as she looked around for an escape.

There weren't any... And the idea to slam into her little personal-space bubble seemed to be getting more and more popular with the fearlings. More cracks began forming, and she got more exhausted with every hit on her bubble. Her adrenaline raced as black sand began seeping through the larger cracks.

_She couldn't go out like this!_ She already died once! That had traumatized Zach enough, imagine how bad it would be if she went and died on him _again! _It would traumatize the poor kid!

Her bubble began to shrink, so she used her trident to try to keep it from growing smaller. It helped, but not much... It helped delay it while she tried to think of something to do...

Claustrophobia began setting in, and she tried to take calming breaths to keep her cool.

It didn't work... Her bubble just kept getting smaller and smaller, and she kept getting more and more panicked as more black sand poured in. The sand just barely reached her ankles, now.

Ashley finally snapped. Her chest felt like a rubber band stretched too tight, and she let out a roar as the bubble got so small she had to crouch down, and it... Well, the bubble more or less exploded.

It was so bright, she had to cover her eyes, and the burst of wind damn near threw her on her butt.

Ashley opened her eyes, only to have her jaw drop. "Ho-Lee Shit." She looked back at the Guardians and grinned tiredly. "Yeah baby!" She cheered. Sandy gave her a thumbs up, as Bunnymund and Tooth all but fainted with relief. "That's how I roll! Can I take a nap, now?"

Sandy started to nod, only to stop as his eyes widened. Everyone else got this _look_, and Ashley cocked her head to the side.

"What? Is there something on my face...? Is it a spider?!" She reached up and felt around, but didn't find anything. She glanced back behind her, since that seemed to be where they were looking, only to have her face drop into an expression of _extreme_ unamusement. "You've _gotta _be fucking kidding me..."

Another wave of fearlings crashed over her, but this time her little personal bubble didn't come to help her. Her whole body stung for a moment, before it all went to black...

This just wasn't her day...

* * *

**Author's Note~**

**Glob, writing the next chapter is gonna kill me... You'll see why. It's..._ nngh-_not very good. I'm not planning for it to be, anywho... **

**So, thanks so much for reading! Appreciate all the favorites and follows and junk you guys are doing. I'm not gonna lie, when I first submitted this story, I kind of expected people to hate it. But you don't (at least, I _think_ you don't) and that makes me feel fuzzy inside. So gracias c:  
**

**Tell me if I made any mistakes in here, and as always-I hope you got a few laughs out of my goofy little tale :)  
**

**,_BlueAsh666_  
**


	14. Chapter 14

When Ashley woke up, she ached _all_ over, man... And her nose itched. She moved to scratch it, but couldn't. _What. The. Hell._

She groaned and shook her head vigorously before opening her eyes. It was dark. There were pillars, and spiked cages all over the place. There was a sharp, metallic smell in the air, that kind of reminded her of blood. It had a medieval torture chamber feel to it. Should she have been scared...?

Maybe.

But was she...?

Not really... More aggravated than anything.

"This place needs a different interior decorator," She grumbled to herself. "And some freaking febreze, man..." She tried to scratch her nose again, but she still _couldn't_. Ashley looked over to see why, and dropped her head as she laughed without humor. Her wrists were chained to a stone pillar. And it made her _angry_...

"This is _so_ fucking cliche... Like some Dungeons and Dragons crap, where the damsel is chained up waiting for the hero to save her," She snorted. "Except I'm not a _fucking damsel, damnit! _Whoever did this is gonna get kicked in the mofoing trachea!"

A mocking laugh cut through the darkness, and a shadow raised up from the ground and formed into a man. Maybe it was the light, but he kind of looked like he had _gray _skin... Black hair that was slicked back, and a black V-neck shirt with a V that was a little too low...

"So _violent_. Come now, we don't need to be enemies, dear girl..." His voice was smooth like velvet. It was a voice that screamed _you can trust me_. So, naturally, she spit on his shirt.

"If we don't need to be enemies, then why am I chained up, jack-ass?"

His eye twitched briefly in annoyance, but he continued to give her an alluring smile. "Just a few precautions..." He cleared his throat. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Pitch Black."

Ashley froze and blinked a few times. "_Oh. _Mister Nightmare King..." She tried to leap forward to choke him out but, again, she was chained up. "Unchain me so I can fuck your shit up, you ass-hat!"

He seemed to melt into the shadows, and his voice rang clear throughout the whole place. "Calm down. I did what was necessary, no more, no less."

"You fucked my baby's head up!"

"Ah yes... Zachary, right?" He gave a short laugh, "He just had so much fear... A feasts worth. I couldn't help myself."

She scowled and looked up at the shackles, hoping to find a weak spot. "Do me a favor, and kindly _piss off_."

Pitch laughed, and it echoed ominously. "Listen to me, Ashley... We don't have to be enemies. I know you're having trouble discovering your powers... I can help you. I can give you all the power, all the respect that you want and deserve. All you have to do is _join me_." He arose from the shadows beside her and smiled. "All the people you care about will remain safe, I can assure you."

Ashley faltered. "I... What about the Guardians? And the other spirits? Eros, Alice, Francisco...?"

Pitch winced, like he actually cared. "I'm afraid not, sweetheart. They'll never stop trying against us, and we'll have to end them, unfortunately... So what do you say...?"

She scoffed and spat in his face. "No dice, man. Fuck that, and you."

For a moment, his face twisted and he _almost_ looked... sad. But it was gone in a second, and he scowled. "_Fine. _We can do this the hard way. Let me know when you change your mind..."

She growled. "You wanna know when I'll change my mind?" Her limbs grew thicker and broke the chains, and she dropped to the ground as a bear. "_Never!_"

She charged at the Nightmare King, only to have him burst into a black fog and dissipate into the air. Roaring in frustration, she slammed her paws into the ground. She _would _have started to break all his stuff, but... A wave of exhaustion hit her, and she collapsed to the ground.

Man, today just _really_ sucks, she thought as black filtered her vision.

* * *

Ashley woke up lying in a forest. She wasn't sure _why _she was in a forest, and she was a little confused... Hadn't she just been in that weird torture room or something...? Had that been a dream...? She couldn't tell.

She groaned as she rolled onto her side, and pushed herself up. Her freakin' head hurt... Staggering up, she began walking. She couldn't think straight, her thoughts were all jumbled up and she found that she couldn't focus too hard on _anything_.

There was a foggy, gray feeling in the forest. It was either getting ready to storm, or it was early in the morning. Unfortunately, she had never invested in a wristwatch, so she didn't know the time. And she didn't have her trident, either... That kind of bugged her. She felt defenseless without it...

_Oh well_... Complaining about it wouldn't help her, she decided. Just keep walking until you find a person, city, or river to follow.

Ashley walked on, until she came to a small clearing. There was someone in it... The person didn't have a shirt, and was _horrifyingly _skinny. His pale skin had a sickly yellow tint to it, and she could see white tufts of hair sticking up from his crumpled form. This person was horribly sick...

Why was she just standing around?!

She ran to the guy and started to kneel down, when the person turned around and leapt at her. She yelped, but didn't throw him off. He was probably delirious...

He lifted his head slowly, and her heart stopped beating.

This wasn't any random person... _Holy shit_-It was _Frost!_

And that wasn't the worst part... His eyes... He-he didn't have any! Just empty, black sockets that had blood dripping from them. Ashley swallowed a lump in her throat as the teen gave a rattling cough into his hand. When he pulled his hand away, there was blood dotting his palm. His breaths were shallow and labored. _God _it killed her to see him like this...

"Ashley," He rasped, voice dry and weak, "What happened...?"

With a shaky hand, she smoothed his dull, white hair back, and tried not to look as horrified as she really was. "I-I don't know, baby, but... but we're gonna fix you up, and then-then we'll find who did this to you and make them pay..."

He put his hands on her shoulders and shook his head. "But it was _you_," He wheezed, "It's _your fault_."

A spike of fear formed in her stomach, and she shook her head vigorously as she tried to keep herself together. "Wha-I-n-no! How did I-"

"We needed you!" He gasped for breath, "We thought we could depend on you... Why weren't you here?!"

He sounded so desperate, so mournful... It damn near broke her heart, and had to bite back a sob. "I-I don't know-I don't know what happened! I-shit-I'm so sorry..."

"I thought you were my friend..." Jack rasped, only to turn violent as he wrapped his scrawny hands around her throat. "_Why weren't you there to help us?!_"

She wanted to push him away, but he was already so _messed up_. As his hands tightened around her throat, she shook her head. "I don't know!" She wheezed as she tried to pry his hands off, "I'm _sorry!_"

"Sorry isn't good enough!" Jack snarled in her face, digging his nails into her neck. She felt blood trickle down her neck, and she decided that enough was enough. She shoved him off of her and onto the ground.

The second she did, though, she immediately wished she hadn't... His broken form landed roughly on the ground, and he broke into a fit of coughs. Jack tried to stand up, but his legs crumbled beneath him, and he weakly reached for the panicking girl.

"Now you're pushing me around, when I'm already so near death..." He wheezed between coughs, and her stomach twisted with guilt.

"_Shit!_" She yelped, tangling her hands into her hair and pulling as she paced back and forth, _wanting _to help with everything she had, but scared to touch him anymore in case he broke. "Just-just stay here, Jack! I-I'll get help! I'll find someone to help you, and-and things'll be okay!"

"No..." He groaned. "No, things... things won't ever be okay again. And it's _your fault._"

Ashley flinched. That had stung... a lot. But she still had to help him! He was her friend, even if he _had_ tried to choke her... he was probably just delirious. She _hoped._

She took off into the woods, calling for help. It was a while before something caught her eye.

Sandy... It looked like he had been reaching for help, before... something, froze him into a blackened carcass. Ashley had to swallow bile, as she dropped to her knees, hoping to find any sign of life in the small man.

There was none...

Biting back tears, she got back on her feet and continued on her way. Sandy had been... He was a freaking _sweetheart_. Who could have done that...?

A monster. A monster that deserved no mercy, and would _never _get any from her when she caught it...

She got to the treeline, and this time, she _did _throw up when she saw what was in the nearest clearing of the field.

"Aleksei..." She whimpered, roughly wiping away tears. His back half was completely mangled into a bloody mess. He had chunks of flesh missing from his torso and neck. "_Damnit! _What's going on-what happened?!"

Sniffling, she walked over to where his massive head was, and closed his eyes. Her head dropped, and she grimaced at the grass. Shaking her head slowly, she stood up on shaky legs. "I'm gonna find who did this... And I'm gonna tear them apart."

Walking into the tall grass, still sniffling, she got to the top of one of the rolling hills, and saw a small shack on the top of the next hill. That's where she was headed.

She half walked, half rolled down the hill as she tried to compose herself. She still couldn't think too clearly, even more so now that she had seen what she did. Things just seemed to be getting worse and worse...

Thunder rumbled in the distance as she made her way. She walked and walked, only to trip over something at the base of the next hill. And fall on her face...

Ashley rolled to her feet and lifted her fists, ready to hit, only to fall back in shock. "No... Not you too..."

Tooth looked up at her from the dirt, face twisted with pain. Her wings had been torn off, and she had a large gash in her abdomen. A trail of blood ran behind her, and Tooth's guts were hanging out.

Ashley crawled closer and moved to help her, but stopped herself. If she moved the wounded fairy, it would probably do more harm than good...

"There you are..." Tooth tried to smile at the girl, but it came out as a grimace. "Where have you been...? You were... supposed to help us..."

She shook her head and pulled at her hair. "I don't _know_, Tooth!" She told the fairy shakily, "Something big happened, and Jack told me I was supposed to be there and I wasn't and I just _can't do this!_ I remember being in the field and-and fighting fearlings, and then it just goes black! I don't know where I went-I don't know what to _do!"_

Tooth's eyes closed. "It's... it's okay. We expected so much from you... Don't worry, Ashley... It's not your fault..."

Ashley shook her head and bit back a sob. _Why was she telling her it was alright?_ It wasn't! And-and the fact that she was being so _damn _nice about it was killing her! It would have been better if she had cursed her out, and tried to kill her! "Tooth, I... What do I do?!"

She didn't get an answer, so Ashley looked at the fairy. Her eyes were closed, and... it didn't look like she was breathing.

"Tooth...? _Tooth!_" Tooth didn't respond, and Ashley's shoulders fell. She had only known these people for a little while, but it still _hurt_. So much... she almost wanted to quit, and just curl up in a ball and never get up, but... She knew that wouldn't help anything. It would only make their deaths in vain...

She wasn't sure if _this _was what it was supposed to feel like when people died... Was this what Zach had to go through when she had died...? God, she hoped not... The only person that had ever croaked on her was her mom, but she had been so young when it had happened, she hadn't really understood it...

It sucked hardcore, either way...

She staggered up, and made her way up the hill, feeling emptier than she had in a long while...

She got to the top to see, _of course_, another body. North's massive body was slumped against the building, his two swords sticking out of his chest. Ashley just bit her lip, forced herself not to sob, and kicked the shack's door down. She was going to get to the bottom of this, even if it _killed _her. She was one hundred percent _done _with this bull shit. Whoever did this was going to die a slow, and painful death.

It was completely bare. Someone had written all over the walls in what looked like _blood_.

_Where are you? _

_Why aren't you here? _

_You told me you wouldn't leave me again. _

_I need you._

_I thought you loved me!_

_You left me again!_

_I can't do this without you..._

_I can't do this anymore._

She looked over to the side, and her heart dropped in her feet, and shattered.

"No..." She breathed before giving a heartbroken, horrified, desperate scream. "_NOOO!_"

Ashley didn't bother trying not to cry as she ran over to the body that hung limply in the air from a rope. Dropping to her knees, she shakily took hold of his one leg and hugged it, trembling and sobbing.

"No, please... Please, tell me this is a joke," She choked out. "_Zach!_ I never thought-you're-you-" She couldn't keep talking. Her mouth wouldn't form the words, and her head wouldn't think of them. All she could think was _why-why-why?!_

Zach... her _baby_, was hanging from the ceiling with a noose around his neck... His face had lost all color, and his eyes were closed. He almost looked like he was _sleeping_.

Ashley could barely see through her tears, but she had managed to reach up and untie the noose. She caught his body before it hit the floor. Hugging him to her chest, she sank to the floor, slowly rocking back and forth.

She couldn't do this anymore... _She couldn't do this anymore!_ Everyone... everyone was gone, or going, and without Zach, what did she have left to live for?! _Fuck_ being the spirit of courage! _Zach _was the reason she had even bothered! Jack was gone, Sandy was gone, Aleksei, Tooth, North... Bunnymund and Eros were probably lying out there somewhere dead, too...

Clutching Zach's cold, lifeless body, she stayed there for what felt like days, crying harder than she had ever cried in her life, hoping that she would die. That someone, or _something _would kill her, so she didn't have to hurt so much...

"_You_."

Ashley didn't bother looking up. She didn't care anymore... Someone ripped her away from Zach, and threw her across the shack, into the wall. She stayed there limply, until someone lifted her by the neck and slammed her to the wall and forced her to look at them.

Bunnymund.

"This is your bloody fault!" Bunnymund snarled, eyes dark, shimmering with unshed tears. "This didn't _need_ ta happen! Everyone's gone, because a' _you!"_

The rabbit lifted her into the air and slammed her into the hard floor. She didn't care. He started kicking her in the face, and she barely bothered to try to block it. She didn't really care to look when she felt more feet kick her. It hurt, and she could have lashed out and fought back, easily... but she didn't. Ashley had hit rock bottom, and there was no going up.

It would take a miracle for her to get out of rock bottom...

She felt a hand grab her by the hair, and throw her up, into the wall. It was Jack...

He held his stick against her throat, and his soulless eye sockets peered into hers. He pulled out a knife from his back pocket and replaced his staff with the blade.

"I should kill you..." He rasped.

Ashley's eyes burned as she choked out, "Please... please do. I can't... I don't wanna do this anymore." When he didn't do it, she reached up and pressed the knife against her throat a little harder, snarling with desperation, "_Do it, you pussy-hearted bitch!_"

He pressed harder, and she closed her eyes, fighting back tears as she felt warm blood trickle down. She wasn't that lucky, though...

She saw a light from behind her eyelids, and Jack dropped her onto the ground. The ground trembled as a voice thundered.

"This will not happen, Pitch. I will not allow it."

She groaned and curled up into a ball. So _close..._

"No-_no!_I was so close, why did you stop me?!"

"It's not fair, Pitch. You should have known I would intervene..." Ashley peeked her eyes open, and saw Pitch, and that she was back in the torture room.

Pitch snarled. "_Life's_ not fair! I'm tired of hiding under beds! I'm not doing it anymore! I used to be feared all around the world by people everywhere, and I will be again. You won't stop me! You _can't!_ Not when I'm so close..."

"It's as you said. Life is not fair. Sometimes people have someone to look out for them and help them, sometimes they don't. This wasn't right, and I was allowed to stop it." The voice turned dark and threatening. "Now get out of here, before I _make_ you... And trust me... You've been pissing me off a _lot _in the past few hours. it wouldn't be good for you if you were to let me escort you out..."

Pitch growled low under his breath, but melted into the shadows.

Ashley heard small rocks crunch under boots, and arms picked her up like she was a little girl. "Hey."

She looked over at the strange man. He had short, wavy black hair, and a strong jaw. Stubble, and a faint scar across his forehead, and steel gray eyes that were surprisingly warm. She had never seen him before in her life, but... something about his aura was familiar. But then again, what did she care...?

"Take it easy, Ace." The man told her gently, "You got beat up pretty bad. Both physically, _and _mentally."

"Just kill me..."

The man gave her a smile that reminded her of her dad, and he brushed some hair out of her face. "I know you must want to die... You just experienced your worst fears. And I also know that it must have felt real... but you must believe me, when I tell you that it was not."

She gave a small shake of her head. "It felt pretty real to me..."

"I know it did. But it wasn't..."

She narrowed her eyes, just a bit. "Just who are you...?" She muttered. "Why do you care? Why are even bothering to help me?!"

"Because, I'm responsible for you," He answered easily, "I made you what you are. I've been watching you since you were a little one... Ever since I saw you being carried out of the hospital by your father, with you're bandaged leg. The doctor had cut you while helping your mother give birth to you, I believe... I suppose it's time I've introduced myself. I'm Vergil."

She froze and narrowed her eyes at the grinning man. "I should punch you."

He chuckled, and his smile had a touch of melancholy to it. "Yes, maybe you should... I had never thought that all this would happen, just from passing on the job... I'm sorry."

She grunted, and a silence came over the two of them for a while before she asked meekly, "I... Are you sure...? That all that wasn't real...?"

He nodded. "Yes, I am... Save for the parts where you got hurt. That really did happen." His face turned grim as he looked ahead. "Fearlings are little bastards, they are."

Ashley still felt like crap... but the edges of her lips twitched up, nonetheless. "And they taste awful, too."

Vergil snorted and grinned at the drained girl. "Gods, tell me about it... As annoying as they are, the least they could do is _taste _good..."

"But they don't..." She sighed. "And the _screeching_..."

Vergil laughed. "Do not even get me started on that... The damn noise makes me want to rip my ears off... _Especially_ as a bear. You haven't had the displeasure of that, yet... Pray that you never will." He shuddered. "It's _awful_."

She snorted, and fended off a yawn as she nodded in agreement.

"Hey, Ace... Why don't you rest a bit...?" He suggested gently. "I can't take you exactly where you need to be, but I can take you somewhere where a friend can find. And _he'll _be able to take you home."

"But I just met you," She protested weakly. "Everyone always goes on about how great you were, and I wanted to learn more about the job and try to get you to tell me about the powers and junk..."

"Even if I wanted to-and I do, by the way-that's not the way it works." Vergil rolled his eyes in slight annoyance. "The guys in charge are all gung-ho about people finding and understanding their powers on their own. Rather annoying, really, but you've been doing a good job... Better than I had. But, of course, I didn't have to be in a huge war right when I became the spirit of courage..."

She sighed in defeat and let her head loll to the side. "I guess this is the last time I'll ever see you again, huh...?"

"Naaah..." He assured her with a grin. "I'm a bit like your guardian angel. I'll be there when you really need me, and when I can convince the guys in the up to allow me to see you. So rest easy, Ace... When you wake up, you'll be with a friend..."

Ashley was out like a light.

* * *

Something was snuffling Ashley's ear when she opened her eyes again. She lightly swatted at it, and covered her head with her arm. Whatever had been sniffing her, picked up her arm in it's teeth and threw her arm back at her side.

With a grunt, she opened her eyes-well, _one _eye, the other was swollen shut-and glanced up to see orange, concerned eyes staring back at her. _Aleksei_. She reached up and hugged his head as fast as she could, and he purred.

"I just had the _worst _time, Aleksei," She rasped, throat dry. "And I hurt all over..."

He nuzzled the top of her head and crooned at her worriedly. She gave the reindeer a half smile and rubbed his snout before giving him an apologetic look.

"Could you help me up...?"

He lowered his head a bit, and she grasped his furry mane as he lifted her up. On shaky legs, she leaned against his side.

"Can you take me home, bud?"

Aleksei snorted, like he was insulted that she even had to _ask_, and nodded. She nodded and swallowed thickly before climbing up. Now, she was tired, and she failed the first couple tries, but she got up there. Tangling her hands in his fur, she leaned against his thick neck and nodded at the ever-patient reindeer.

"Okay... I'm ready."

* * *

Jack Frost sulked in the back of the circle, as they held a small funeral in the Globe Room. He didn't participate. He just sat on the ground against a column, and studied Ashley's trident.

He couldn't believe it. She had done... _something_, when the fearlings had swarmed her. He had been so sure that she was dead, but she made something happen, and all the fearlings-thousands, _millions _of the creatures had dissolved into light. Like an atomic bomb had went off.

And she had been okay. She looked back at them and, shaken as she had been, cheered. They all did... They had thought they had won. But another wave of them came over her, and then just _left_. Ashley wasn't there anymore... just her trident had been left.

It wasn't _fair_. And Jack couldn't get rid of this bad feeling, that she _wasn't _dead. And that scared him...

What if she wasn't dead? What if Pitch was torturing her? What if he had convinced her to join him?! Jack couldn't fight her! He _wouldn't!_

Turns out... he hadn't needed to worry about that.

Aleksei clopped in. The beast had gotten loose when the sleigh pulled in. He had gone into a rage, and tore out of the ice tunnels and back outside. Probably to find Ashley...

No one but Jack really paid any mind to the reindeer. The teen figured that the reindeer had given up, but... Aleksei looked awfully content, considering the fact that he hadn't found her.

As Jack sat there, wondering why Aleksei looked so happy, he got his answer.

Ashley had tried to get off of the beast's back, but must have given up halfway through, and just fell to the ground with a quiet grunt. He set the trident on the floor besides his staff before standing up and walking towards her, gaping in disbelief. Everyone had heard her grunt, and was now staring at her in shock.

She... She didn't look all that good. She had dark shadows under eyes, one eye was swollen shut, and her lip was bloody and split. Bruises and scrapes coloured her right arm and shoulder. And her eyes seemed... duller. Less bright, and without so much of the almost _childlike _excitement and eagerness.

She picked herself up off of the ground, and leaned against Aleksei for support. "Zach," She started, voice uncharacteristically quiet, "Is Zach still-" Her voice cracked, and she cleared her throat before starting again, "He still asleep? He doesn't know about... about what had happened out there, right...?" Sandy shook his head, and she exhaled heavily in relief... At least she wouldn't have to deal with _that_. Because if _Zach_ started crying, she probably would, too. She was having a hard enough time not crying already, and if he was, man, _forget it_.

"Ashley..." Jack breathed. She looked up at him, and almost looked _scared _as he got closer. "What happened...?"

Jack Frost wasn't sure what to expect to happen when he asked her that. A lot of things could have happened... But of all the ways for her to react, the teen did _not _expect for her to start crying.

"Shit," She choked out, turning away. Ashley hadn't expected such a rush of emotion to slap her in the face when she saw everyone... She _especially_ hadn't planned to start crying, but... It just sort of happened. "Fuck, I'm sorry, I... Just give me a minute..." She roughly wiped her tears away, but they just _kept coming_. She pinched the bridge of her nose as she tried to compose herself.

"Are you _crying_...?"

"No!" She yelped, swallowing thickly and trying to not sniffle, "Of course I'm not crying! I-I-it's just... It's just raining on my face." She could practically _feel_ the looks she was getting when that came out of her mouth, and she slapped her palm to her forehead. Of all the things, the excuses she could have said, _that _shit came out of her mouth...

"It's _raining on your face_...?"

Well, she's gone and said it now, she might as well stick with it... "Yes... There's an invisible cloud that's above my head, raining on my face." There _may_ or _may not _have been an extreme amount of smart-assiness in that sentence.

Jack scoffed from behind her and raised an eyebrow. "That was a horrible excuse..." He paused a moment, before adding in a much gentler tone. "Look, Ash... You've been through a lot. We aren't going to think you're a big baby if you cry a little."

"Is true," North said, finally snapping out of his shock. "Ve are here for you."

"I'm _fine. _Really," She insisted stubbornly, "I just need a minute... I'm not asking for help."

Bunnymund frowned and walked over. "Ya don't _need _to do this alone." The giant rabbit put his furry paw on her shoulder just as she was looking back, and once he came in contact, she flinched and jumped up. She almost looked _scared _of the old pooka...

"Just leave it!" She said bluntly, a tone of harshness in her voice. "I'm okay-just let me be, _damn!_"

His ears fell flat against his head, and he frowned before taking a step back. That had kind of hurt the old pooka. "Alright, Ash," Bunnymund sighed in defeat. "Have it your way... I know you're real prideful, and I can respect that..."

Jack gave the rabbit a surprised, rather _disappointed_ look. "_I_ won't." He walked to Ashley and put his hand on her shoulder. Needless to say, he was pretty surprised when she jerked back and grabbed him by the collar of his hoodie with one hand, and lifted the other to punch him. She looked absolutely _livid_, and maybe he should have been worried, like everyone around him was... But he wasn't.

"Come on, Ash... You wouldn't hurt me, and you _know_ it. I know _I_ would never hurt _you_..."

She blinked a few times, like she was snapping out of a daze, and looked back at him. Realizing what she had almost did, regret and guilt crossed her face, and she set him down. Her hands were clearly shaking as she tangled her hands in her hair. "_Shit_... I almost..."

The teen gave her an assuring smile. "Don't worry about it... I know you wouldn't have. Now listen, alright...? I know a lot of things have happened... Heck, we thought you were _dead_. You aren't, but you seem to be a little leery of us, and that's just not gonna do... Don't be such a butt head."

"I can't help it, Frost, it's just in my nature," She replied dryly, "_Apparently_, I have trouble expressing my emotions and I'm very stubborn, remember?"

Jack snorted. "Yeah, believe us, _we know_. But we're gonna break you out of that."

Ashley raised a brow and folded her arms across her chest, still sniffling but eyes beginning to dry. "Oh yeah...? Just how are you gonna accomplish that?"

"Lots of effort," He replied, inching his way closer and opening his arms. "But first, I think you need a hug..."

She snorted, and wiped an almost-but-not-quite imaginary tear. "I hate to break it to you, but I'm not a huge hugger, kid."

Jack gave her an insulted look. "Okay, first of all, I'm three hundred years older than you, and I'm five foot seven and three quarters. I was considered tall back then, _and_ I've lived before your great-great-great-great grandaddy. So _shut up_, stop being so headstrong, and let yourself be comforted for once! It helps, I swear!"

"Swearing is bad for your soul.."

His arms fell a bit as he protested. "_You _swear more than all of us put together!"

She raised her arms in defense. "Never said I didn't... and I am the perfect example of that."

He was about to retort, when he realized that she was _trying_ to change the subject. "Bunnymund, you should hug her... _Right now."_

Ashley was suddenly in the _fucking air_, with two furry arms around her, and she grunted. "Dude put me down, this is harassment!"

Jack smirked and joined in on the hug. "Then it's payback time!"

One by one, the rest of the Guardians, Eros, some of the other spirits, and even some of the yetis joined in on the group hug. At first, Ashley struggled a bit, and though she wouldn't admit it, she was a bit scared... but after awhile, she felt... _good_. A giant bunny was hugging her, for Christ's sake! Who can feel scared when they're being hugged by a bunny...?

Nobody, that's who.

And it finally hit her, just why she had to stop Pitch. Why it was so damn _crucial _for her to not let him accomplish what he wanted. If it wasn't for the rest of the people in the world, or for Zach, then at the very least, it was for these guys...

They really were just a great bunch of people, and if Pitch wasn't stopped, they would die. And she would do everything and anything in her power to stop it.

Her nightmare would _not_ become reality, she decided, even if she had to make a few sacrifices of her own.

* * *

**Author's Note~**

**I could have, and maybe should have gone more in-detail during her nightmare... but I think if I had, I would have started crying. IT WAS SO DIFFICULT TO THINK THAT PART UP, YOU HAVE NO IDEA. A part of me died inside, imagining Sandy up for her nightmare, because Sandy is a motherfuckin' BEAST. He is full of epicosity, and a freaking sweetheart, and I never want to have to imagine him, or anyone else, like that again D: Blegh... At least the ending was okay... and she met Vergil..  
**

**Thanks for all the favorites, follows, reviews, and for reading. I appreciate it, they give me warm fuzzies.  
**

**If there was anything I did wrong, let me know. I can't really say that I hope you got a few laughs out of this chapter, so... uhm... I hope no one cried, reading this. Unless that's a good thing..? I don't think it is... I don't know what to say for this chapter... This was what I meant, when I said it was gonna be not good. Thanks for reading is all I can say, I suppose, for this one. That, and I did my best D: I've never really done anything quite like this, with all the emotions and depression and sadness AGH IT HURTS.  
**

**Merry Christmas to all you guys, yo! I hope ya got a lot of presents and cookies and junk :)  
**

**,_BlueAsh666_  
**


	15. Chapter 15

"Ow, ow, ow..." Ashley muttered under her breath as she carried the mug of hot chocolate. She all but ran into the room Zach was staying in and set the mug down, before jumping around, muttering curses under her breath. Jack snickered at her, and she glared. "Why are you even here? I'm better now, you don't to hang around to make sure I'm okay..."

The winter spirit shrugged one shoulder from his spot on the floor, leaning against the bed. "I know... I just kinda like hanging around you. Is that a crime...?"

She faltered as she sat on the bed. "No..." A grin crossed her face before she added, "It _is _a sign of mental illness, though." Jack rolled his eyes and reached past her legs, grabbing the mug of hot chocolate. She raised an eyebrow at the teen, who was seemingly unaffected by the high temperature of the cup.

"Doesn't that hurt...? It's fuc-_freaking_," She corrected, remembering the snoozing boy besides her that could awaken and listen in at any time, "Hot. Doesn't it hurt...? Or at the very least feel uncomfortable..?" Soulless, empty black eyes stared back at her for a split second, and her stomach twisted with fear, but she but she beat it down right quick..

"Not really," He answered, before adding exasperatedly, "And would you quit looking at me like I'm gonna bust out and attack you at any minute?!"

She raised her arms in defense. "I'm sorry, I was just in a freaking traumatizing experience! What do you want me to do-frolic in a field of flowers and sing a song about a happy duck that's best friends with a banana turtle?!"

"Yes! That's _exactly_ what I want you to do! I want you to do that, and stop giving me that one look every time you think I'm not looking!" He paused as he went over what she had said in his head before asking bewilderedly, "A _banana turtle_...?"

"_Shut up!_" She grumbled, "My head hurts, I can't see out of my right eye, I almost made you kill me, and all sorts of stuff. I can't think of very good retorts right now, okay? _Sheesh_..."

The teen froze mid-sip, and slowly turned his head to look at her. "_What?!_"

Ashley flinched, and awkwardly rubbed her neck. "Whoops... Did I say that...? No, I didn't say that, you must've heard me wrong." She cleared her throat as she tried to change the subject. "Did I ever get the chance to ask why you always carry that tree branch around? I don't think I did, so... why do you always carry it around?

Jack gave a short, humorless laugh and shook his head. "No, we aren't changing the subject. You aren't getting out of it this easy."

"_Shit._"

"You need to spill. I didn't ask about what happened to you while Pitch had you before, because I didn't know how bad it was. Apparently it was pretty bad, so you either need to talk about it with _me_, or someone else."

"I'd rather not..."

"_Ash._"

She winced. "But..."

"_Ashley_."

"_Jack_," She mimicked, making various hand motions as she talked. "I don't like to talk about things like this, all they do is make me feel worse!"

The teen rolled his eyes at the girl. Since when did _he_ become the mature one? "It gets worse before it gets better... You _need to talk about it with someone_."

She gave a long sigh and _really _dragged it out. "I'll tell you what, when Pitch is just a stain on the sole of my boot, I'll tell you everything you wanna know, and then some. If I'm still alive."

"You _aren't_ dying." Jack told her sternly before adding, "And we're _both _going to forget about it by then." Ashley frowned and rubbed her neck.

"You don't know that." She countered.

He frowned and narrowed his eyes. "You aren't dying. Period. We aren't discussing this, Ash."

She raised her hands in defeat. "Alright, alright, calm down... Then I _promise_, that I will." She told him. "I may not be the smartest, fastest, strongest, or politest... _ohoho_, no, definitely not the politest-but you can bet your ass that I will never break a promise. You can ask Zach when he wakes up, my word is as good as gold. When it's over, I'll sit you down, and I'll tell ya what you want to know."

He sighed, but let it go. "Alright, fine... But I'm holding you to your word."

"You won't need to," She replied, glancing back at Zach, "I do a good enough job on my own..." The boy was still sound asleep, so she turned to Jack and held her hand out, pointing to the mug. "Give me a sip of that, will you?"

The winter spirit raised an eyebrow. "I've already drank some... with my lips. On the mug."

"You don't say?" She asked sarcastically before continuing. "Yeah, I know that... Thank you, Sherlock. If you don't wanna share, you can just say so..."

"No, no, no, that's not it," He quickly assured her, placing the mug in her hand. "Just... most people don't really like to share drinks. Germs and all that..."

"Well, most people are squeamish little bit-female dogs." She told him dryly. "I don't have herpes or anything, and I'm _pretty_ sure you don't; and we haven't been giving any blowjobs or anything of the like recently, I _think_. _I _haven't-don't know about you..." Jack gave her a bewildered, shocked look, and she wiggled her eyebrows at him before continuing, "So I don't see any issues here. Unless you'd like to confess about anything...?"

The teen's face turned bright red, and he covered his face with his hands as he muttered lowly, "You have some serious issues..."

She snorted and laughed. "Yeah, maybe I do. All my friends were guys, and there was a _lot _of dirty jokes. Sorry I made ya blush... except, not really, because it's kind of adorable..."

"Shut up!"

Ashley grinned. She was having _way_ too much fun with this... "You're like a little kitten or something!" She yelped when he bonked her on the head with his staff, and she cried out indignantly. "'_Ey! _ You wanna go, Frost?! I'll take you down! I'll take you so far down, you'll be _six feet _underground!"

He scoffed and made a 'bring it on' gesture. "You talk awfully big for someone that's as short as you are."

"I'm five foot ten and a half, bitch!" She retorted, taking a gulp of the hot cocoa before setting it on the bedside table and standing up. "Them's fightin' words. You want your trachea stomped on, don't you?!"

The teen scoffed and stood up with her, face going back to it's normal shade. "I'd like to see you try."

She started laughing. This ass... _this_ ass was asking for it. Well, she was going to deliver... She composed herself, if just a bit, and got right up to his face. She was so close she could _smell _him. He smelt like hot chocolate, and a cold winter day, if that makes any sense...

She smirked as the winter spirit looked off to the side, nervously. "I'll give you _one _more chance to back down, before I bring out the beat down."

He smirked right back at her. "Bring. It."

Ashley leaned back a bit, chuckling under her breath. She shook her a head a bit and grinned at the teen, who watched her questioningly. She suddenly grabbed him by the collar of his hoodie, and lifted him up like he was a rag doll.

The next thing he knew, he was on the floor, with Ashley's boot on his chest. "What-how did you do that so fast?!"

She scoffed, like she was insulted, and sat on him. "What part of '_four boxing trophies_' do you not understand? Plus, I may or may not have been in a fight club, and you're skinny. It's not like you weigh a good two hundred pounds..."

He shrugged from his place on the floor, and paused before asking hesitantly, "So... where's this beat down you were talking about...?"

"Meh..." She lazily shrugged one shoulder, "If you tell anyone I said this, I'll deny it immediately, but I actually _kinda_ don't loathe your entire existence. I don't wanna hurt you _too _bad. And I still ache all over, and I'm tired."

"So... no beat down?"

"Not today." She answered. "We can schedule a time later, if you'd like..."

Jack hummed thoughtfully, before jerking over and rolling them over so that he was on top. She wasn't taking that without a fight, so the two rolled around for a while, but he still ended up on top.. He grinned cheekily at her, and she narrowed her eyes a bit. "You sir," She told him, waggling her finger at him. "You are playing a _dangerous_ game... A game that you are not big nor strong enough to play. You have three seconds to quit, before I layeth the smacketh down on your _candy ass_. One... Three."

She threw him off of her, and stood up. She cracked her knuckles before picking him up by his hood. He had this shit-eating grin on his face, and she gave him one right back. She pulled her arm back, like she was actually gonna _do _something (which she wasn't, by the way), before a drowsy voice called out.

"Ashley...?"

Said girl's eye widened, and she quickly let go of Jack, even brushing off his shoulders before turning to Zach. "Hey, buddy... I uh... I wasn't brawling it out with Jack, if that's what you're thinking..."

Zach smiled at her, before having his face fall into one akin to horror. "What happened to you?!"

She sat down on the bed, pulling the kid into a big hug. Though he was a bit confused at the sudden show of affection, he hugged her back.. "Nothin'... I'm okay, kiddo, don't worry about it." She ruffled his hair a bit before clearing her throat. "But hey, listen, um... I've been waiting for you to wake up, so we could have a chat."

The boy gave her a confused look, but nodded.

"Well, look... The Guardians and I went out and had us a bit of a scuffle, right? And some things partook, you don't really need to worry yourself over them, and... I wanted to tell you something. Something that's... kinda serious." She told him, rather awkwardly. "Well... here it goes. I've come to the realization that this isn't going to be easy... I'm not gonna lie to you; I do believe we're in a full out war. If not right at this moment, then we _will _be..."

Zach made a choked noise and gave her a look. "_What?!_I-"

She shushed him and ran her fingers through his hair. "Shh... It's okay, babe. I'm gonna stop it, and that's a promise." His face turned concerned as she took a breath before continuing. "This might be a little dangerous, and there is a _possibility _that I may or may not end up getting hurt, if not worse..."

He drew his eyebrows together as he protested weakly. "I just got you back, though..." He faltered before telling her firmly, "Promise me you won't die."

She winced, but didn't say anything.

"_Ashley_." His voice cracked. "Promise..."

She wanted to, _really _she did, but... "You know how I am, babe," She told him with a half-hearted grin, trying to lighten the mood. "I'm not the most careful person in the world... I won't make a promise I might not be able to keep. And that's part of what I wanted to discuss, actually..."

"You don't need to, because you're not gonna die!" Jack told her, traces of anger in his voice. "Stop talking like that!"

Ashley turned and gave Jack a look. "You aren't in this, man, either stand there quietly, or _get out_." She looked back at Zach. "So, if something happens to me... I want you try not to be sad, okay? If you can't help it, that's okay-but never _ever_ hurt or kill yourself. I know you know enough about both of those topics, we've talked about everything there is to talk about. I want you to _swear_, on me, on mom and dad, on everything and everyone that you've ever loved... Don't pull any of that stupid crap."

He tried to pull a brave face, but she could see that he was worried. "Okay... But-but you won't, right...? Die...?"

She shrugged and kissed his head. "I'll try, baby. I will try my best." She nuzzled the top of his head. "I love you, kiddo..."

"Love you, too..." Zach mumbled into her shoulder.

A low, pleased purr rumbled in her throat without her consent as she nuzzled the top of his head. "Everything I do, I do for you." She told him in an Asian voice, pulling an inside joke.

Zach giggled before adding in an equally bad Asian accent, "But not you... You eat all China Buffet's food, you fat cow!"

Jack raised an eyebrow from his spot against the wall. Those two were _so weird_... but they were kind of cute, the way they balanced each other out, and the way that Ashley would bend over backwards for the younger boy... He would never understand them, though...

* * *

Ashley looked over at Tooth, and decided to go over and talk to her, while Jack went over to Sandy. The girl strolled over to the fairy, who was watching Jack with an odd look in her eyes.

She studied the woman, before asking curiously. "You like Frost...?"

Tooth jerked back a bit, and looked at the girl as her face turned a bit darker. "W-what?! Me? Absolutely _not!_"

Ashley chuckled and leaned forward onto the table she was standing behind. "Don't lie now, Tooth. I know I'm not the brightest, but I'm not a _complete _idiot," She gave a tired sigh and rubbed her face. "Man, I could go for a good cigarette..."

"_Ashley!_" Tooth gasped in a disappointed surprise. "You _smoke?!_"

She raised her arms in defense. "Not a lot!" She defended weakly. "Just when I get really stressed or tired! I have one like once every three or four, sometimes five or six months! And-and half the time-it's a cigar! A _real_ one, with just pure sweet tobacco and spices-no chemicals! And I _never _smoke in front of Zach."

Tooth shook her head and frowned at the girl. It wasn't until she hunched her shoulders with guilt and mutter a weak apology under her breath did Tooth turn to look back at Jack and Sandy.

Ashley watched her curiously for a while, looking between the fairy and Jack, before asking hesitantly, "So... If you like him, why don't you ask him out..? Err, or whatever it is you guys do."

The fairy's face turned bright red again, and she suddenly found the table _very _interesting as she twiddled her thumbs. "I'm just... admiring the view. And we're not aliens, Ashley... we court like regular people would."

She gestured over to Jack. "Then go! Court him! If you do that, you can admire the view even _closer_. You've got nothing to lose... You're really pretty, you have _wings_, you're smart, and _really _nice. If he doesn't like you back, at least you'll have clarity, ya know...?"

Tooth looked over at the girl and gave a small smile. "It just... wouldn't work."

"Why not?!" She asked exasperatedly, waving her arms in the air, "What won't work? You go over, you ask him out; if he says yes, yay-no, nay. Then you eat lots of ice cream, we prank him some, then you get over it and find someone else. I don't get it..."

"You really don't," Tooth told her gently. "I'm _always _busy, Ashley. I wouldn't have time for him, save for Guardian meetings."

Ashley furrowed her eyebrows together in thought and hopped on the table, sitting cross-legged on it. "So... you're worried he'll stray...?"

"No, no, that's not what I'm worried about," Tooth told her, a touch of defensiveness in her voice. "If we were ever to get together, I'm not worried he'd leave me... I'm worried he wouldn't be happy."

"But-"

"Let me finish. He wouldn't be as happy as he _could _be. Jack likes a lot of affection..."

Ashley snorted. She couldn't help it... she knew she was in a serious conversation, but, "_Frost?!_"

She nodded. "Yes. Three hundred years of little to no communication and of no humans being able to see him took it's toll..."

The girl choked. "_Three hundred years?!_ What-where were _you _guys?! Did-did you not exist back then?!"

"No, we were there..." A guilty look came over her face. "We just... never had the time. And we never knew that he was as lonely as he was."

Ashley frowned and looked over at the winter spirit. The guy had been so nice to her about it, too... _Ouch_. Now she felt like an ass... "Three hundred years... That's fucked up. It'd be enough to drive _anyone _mad. I was upset as hell that all of my friends and Zach couldn't see me, and that was only for a few days..."

Tooth nodded in agreement.

"Damn," She muttered sorrowfully to herself, "I... I didn't know that, about him. Poor kid..." A silence came over the two of them; Ashley, trying to imagine 300 years of loneliness, and Tooth in a regretful guilt.

Tooth broke the silence. "Maybe... Maybe _you _would be good for Jack."

She shot up from her slouched posture and gave the fairy a bewildered look, before cracking up. "_Me?!_" She chortled, "Ha! As if... _Naw_, ma'am. I'm not the huggy type."

Tooth scoffed. "Blatant lies! I see how you are with Zachary! And Jack likes you!"

"...Okay, _maybe_ I am the huggy type, but not with Frost. Not like _that_, I don't think..." She made a face and stuck her tongue out. "And besides... _You _deserve to be happy, mom..."

"So do you and Jack! And I _am _happy!" Tooth faltered, and suddenly got this really big smile. "And did you just...?"

Ashley cocked her head to the side. "What...?" She went over what she had said in her head, only to blush and cover her face. "Oh... I called you... _Shoot_, I'm sorry, you just... You remind me a lot of my mom, and it just slipped!"

Tooth giggled and spun around in the air. "It's fine... you can call me that, if you really want to. It's actually quite sweet... What _was _your mom like...?"

"My mom? Oh, she was great..." She said with a small smile. "I don't remember as much as I'd like to about her, but I have pictures, and my pop's stories. She kinda looked like you... But uh, I'm sure you don't want to listen to me ramble..."

The fairy scoffed, like she was insulted, and floated down on the table, sitting next to the girl. "I would love to."

"Well... Alright..." Ashley said unsurely, idly scratching her scarred cheek before beginning. "She was kind of like you. Really small and dainty looking, with little hands that were always clean and didn't have any callouses or scars like mine... She used to be an army techie. She worked with computers. Her face was really clean and clear, and her hair was always really neat... That's where I got my hair color. I... I can't remember what her eyes looked like. And she smelt like honey..."

The girl got a grin on her face, and she laughed a bit to herself. "I remember that she used to tell me stories... She'd tell me that she'd fight in the army, with her computers. She'd go on and on about how she'd use the mouse like a whip, and bash people over the head with the keyboard. " She heaved a sigh and rubbed her neck. "She... she got me a rat, too. His name was Ares. He died the day after she did... It was a double whammy. One day, I walk in the kitchen to find her on the floor, dead, and the next, my best friend died..."

Tooth gave the glum girl a sympathetic look. Ashley caught it, and quickly straightened up, clearing her throat. "Yeah... That's about it. I would say more, but I was pretty little when she died, so I don't really remember a lot..."

"I'm sorry..." Tooth told her before pulling the girl into a one-armed hug. Ashley stiffened a bit, before relaxing against the fairy.

"It isn't that big of a deal... I was little, and I can't remember much from back then, anyways..."

"You're allowed to show a little weakness, you know... That's what makes us human."

Ashley snorted and rested her head against the smaller woman's shoulder. "Yeah, I know, but I _shouldn't_. I learned some stuff in boxing... If you show your weak spot, your opponent'll hit it again and again, and they'll hit it _hard_, 'till you go down and out.."

Tooth rolled her eyes and ruffled the girl's hair. "Boxing isn't everyday life..." She cocked her head to the side. "And you should really try to keep your hair brushed and out of your face a bit more... It would be really pretty."

"Ha! I've tried it, mama... My hair just won't listen to me." Ashley paused as she ran what she said through her head, and slapped her palm to her forehead. "And I called you mom _again_. God, I'm just having all sorts of problems today..." She stifled a yawn and hopped off the table before slapping her cheeks in an attempt to be more alert. "Well'p... I'm gonna go off and do some stuff. I think the boss fight is coming up, and I wanna be a little more ready than I was last time. I'll catch ya later. And Tooth... _thanks_, for listening to me ramble and stuff."

Tooth gave the girl a gentle smile and flew back into the air. "Anytime, sweetie. And... think about what I said."

"About calling you mom?"

She giggled. "No. About showing your emotions..."

Ashley scoffed and waved a hand dismissively. "Emotions are for squares... They just hold ya back, Tooth."

Tooth gave her a look, and shook her head a little before placing her small hand on Ashley's arm. "Not even a little bit... I wish you could see that..." Then, she flew off somewhere. Where, exactly? Well... Ashley didn't know. But man, she did it _fast._

It kind of made her wish _she_ had some wings, too... Maybe she could ask Slendy to give her some, later. That, and a coffee. And a mother fucking medal, because she felt like she bloody well _deserved _one, after all this...

Ashley scratched her neck and pursed her lips in thought. She showed emotion... didn't she...? Just not the wimpy ones, if she could help it. People didn't need to know when she was sad or scared, not really... What good would that do, letting people know when she was scared? Nothing... it would probably just add to the panic, and that wouldn't help at all. And letting people see that she was sad would just be fishing for sympathy, right?

Right.

She glanced back at Jack and Sandy, only to snort and laugh when the winter spirit tripped. He righted himself before falling on the ground, but it was still funny!

Jack looked over and scowled. His face looked a few shades pinker than it usually was, and she grinned as he pointed his stick at her threateningly. "Shut up!"

"You're face is looking a bit red, there, Frost," She teased, "Are we having some problems, babe?"

"Yeah, we have a problem!" The teen shot back, "You were _born!"_

Ashley lurched forward playfully and pretended to be in pain. "You wound me, Jack! I thought you loved me!" She ducked, and narrowly dodged a snowball. She raised her arms in challenge. "Oh, you wanna go? Let's go then! Bring it on, mosuckra!"

He faltered. "I... _what_...?"

She laughed and waved him off before continuing on her way. "Nothing, Frost, it's nothing." She walked a bit, before a familiar, though upside-down, golden head popped into her vision. "Hey Sandy." The small man gave a little wave and landed on her shoulders. She didn't really mind it, so she just let him hang there. Hell, she even grabbed one of his little legs so he wouldn't slip off. "Might I say that I'm glad to see ya?"

He leaned on her head and peeked down at her, and she caught a grin on the little man's face. A few pictures popped up over his head and in her face. A Pitch made of golden sand, a nightmare, a frowny face, then a question mark.

"Uh..." She said slowly, "Are you asking me if I feel better...?" A thumbs up popped up in her face, and she chuckled. "Yeah, I feel better... Thanks, little man." She felt him pat the side of her head in response. "I should really get you a notepad and a pen... I'm afraid I suck rather royally at charades." She felt his shoulders shake with silent laughter, and a faint chiming filled the air.

The two walked through the workshop, which was emptier than it usually was... Ashley wasn't sure where all the yetis were, but their absence was definitely noticed. She caught sight of Phil, and jogged a bit to reach the roaming yeti.

"Hey, Phil!" She called, and the gray yeti turned and smiled at the girl. When she got close enough, he ruffled her hair, much to her annoyance.

"Hey there, lass." He greeted warmly, "How're we doin'?"

She lightly shrugged one shoulder. "I could be worse... But, hey, uh... Is there a backpack or something around here?"

He raised a furry brow. "Wha'... Why do ye need one for?"

"I just have a feeling I'm gonna need some more stuff than what I've got." She answered. "Also, do you have like, a nurses office, or infirmary around here?"

The yeti scratched his neck in thought. "Ye'h, we do... and I'm sure I could scrounge one up for ye. Come along, lass."

He led her through the dome, until they came to a huge wooden door. "Right in 'ere. I'll go find a backpack, ya can go in and get what'cha need." He walked off before she could say anything, and she looked up at the door.

She pushed against it lightly, just to test it out. It didn't even budge...

She looked back at Sandy in question, and he just shrugged unhelpfully. Giving a long, tired sigh and blowing some hair out of her face, she pushed against the door, a little harder. Still nothing.

"Come _on!_" She groaned, pounding against the wood with her fist in frustration, "I _know_ you're a push door! Just open! _Please?_"

She tried to force it open with her shoulder, and put all her weight against it, but still no dice...

Ashley huffed and put her hands on her hips. "Sandy, you might want to get off for a moment. I'm gonna try something..." When the little man hopped off her shoulders and stood to the side, she backed up a good few yards and cracked her neck. Sandy gave her a supportive smile and thumbs up, and she sprinted to the door...

Only to have it swing open _just_ before she got to it... She was going too fast to stop, and ran _right _into the wall with a yelp.

It went dark for a few moments... When she opened her eyes, she was on the floor, with Sandy looking down at her with a worried look. She groaned and rolled onto her side before sitting up.

"I'm okay... It's all good." She muttered, rubbing her throbbing forehead. "I might have a minor concussion, but I can deal... I get those quite enough, and they barely do anything anymore..."

She heard a scoff from one of the nearby cots, and looked over. _Nate_...

Life just liked to laugh at her, it seemed...

"Hey, Nate." She grunted as she dragged herself up.

Nate raised a brow and blew smoke in her face, completely unfazed by her little... run-in. "Sup."

The smoke slapped her in the face, and she suddenly remembered something. "Hey... Can I have a smoke and a light?" Sandman hopped on her shoulder, and narrowed his eyes, waggling his finger in disappointment. It made her a _little _upset that she disappointed the little guy, but her head was still ringing faintly and she was seriously about to flip her lid, so she didn't mind it as much as she would have, under normal circumstances.

The scraggly man raised a brow, but gave a curt nod. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a pack and a lighter and tossed them into her stomach. She _just barely _caught them before they fell to the floor. She breathed a sigh of relief and pulled one out, placing it in her mouth before lighting it.

"Ya don't seem much like a smoker to me." Nate said dryly. She offered him the pack and lighter back, but he shook his head. "Nah, you can keep it, yo... I got plenty more."

Ashley nodded and inhaled the sweet, sweet nicotine before putting the carton and lighter in her pocket. She usually found nicotine to be gross, but... she wasn't picky. It helped, and she didn't exactly have any of her lovely cigars on her, so it would just have to do... "I'm usually not... I'll smoke like, five times a year. But... I've been itching for one lately, and even if the nicotine is nasty, I'll take it."

The man hummed and nodded. He studied her for a bit, before talking again. "How come you act scared with some people, and not others, now?"

"I don't act scared..." She told him, furrowing her eyebrows together.

He shrugged a tattooed shoulder. "Well, not _scared_. I've been noticing, around the bunny and the white-haired kid, when they's not lookin', you get this look on your face..."

She faltered. "I... Do I?"

"Yup." He nodded calmly. "You got a little fucked up in the head, yeah?" Ashley gave Nate a look, but nodded uncertainly. He took another breath of nicotine before continuing. "Yeah. I know... I _always_ know. And it's alright, to get fucked up a lil' bit... Just remember that whatever happened, whatever you saw when you disappeared, that nightmare shit-_won't_... If ya don't let it."

She suddenly found her boots to be very interesting. "I... Yeah." Sandy lightly pat the side of her head in assurance. "Thanks, Nate. You're... you're pretty cool..."

He scoffed. "Bitch, _please_. I'm the mother fuckin' _coolest_. _All _the bitches love me!"

"Sure," She snorted, "Believe that, if that's what helps you sleep at night..." When he didn't reply, she looked up. He was gone... "Aaand, he's gone... Just to make sure I'm not crazy-you saw that, too, right Sandy?" He nodded, and she harrumphed. "These people just _do not_ know how to say '_bye_', I guess..."

The door slammed open, and Phil walked in. She turned and raised her arms in exasperation. "How come it opened for you so easy?! I ended up getting a mo-foing concussion opening that crap!" Sandy made a chiming noise in agreement.

"Wait, what? Are ye alright?" The yetis eyes widened. "And are ye _smoking?!_"

Jack popped out from behind the yeti, and Ashley groaned... Couldn't she just get a _break _from the damned delinquent?! Was that so much to ask for?!

The teen scowled and got closer, only to snatch the cigarette out of her mouth and freeze it solid. Ashley gave a devastated and disbelieving noise.

"You froze my ciggy."

The teen huffed and smacked her upside the head with his staff. "Smoking is bad for you, stupid!"

"You _froze_ my _cigarette_."

"That crap will _kill _you!"

She suddenly had the urge to hurt him, but pinched the bridge of her nose instead, screaming internally for patience. "You froze my _goddamn _cigarette."

He leaned closer in challenge. "Yeah, I did. What are you gonna do about it?" She grabbed him by the collar and dragged him close despite Sandy's silent protests, and raised her arm to smack him around a bit, but...

"Nothing..." She sighed frustratedly, "I'm not gonna do _jack_... I freaking hate you, Frost, you know that?" She let him go with a scowl and crossed her arms.

Jack laughed, and smirked at her tauntingly. "You mad, bro?"

She rolled her eyes and lightly pushed him. "You probably don't even know where that's from, man..." She caught sight of Eros peeking in the room from behind Jack, and called out to him. "And _you_, stop being a creeper!" Tangling her fingers in her hair, she groaned, "And can _someone_ get me some coffee and a krimpet? Please...? I would love you forever if you did..."

* * *

**Author's Note~**

**Well... It's been a while, eh? Yup... Sorry about that... Been hanging out with my family and stuff. But, I got the last chapter done for Christmas in a day and a half, so it's all good, yeah? Yeah... And apologies if this one seems a bit rushed... because it kind of was. People are breathing down my neck right now, trying to get me off.  
**

**Any who... let me say thanks, to all you lovely people who've read, reviewed, followed, and faved! Another big thanks to the people that pointed out my mistakes! Like I said, I read through what I write, but I think I read it more the way it was _meant_ to be, and not the way it actually is. So thank you guys!  
**

**Also, do we know what's coming soon? I'll tell ya what: the big boss fight. I'm still working it out in my head, but it's close to being ready. The next chapter, or maybe the one after, if I can stretch it out that long.**

**Thanks for reading, and I hope you got a few laughs out of my goofy little story!  
**

**Happy New years, guys! I wish everyone a flipping fantastic year!  
**

**, _BlueAsh666_  
**


	16. Chapter 16

Ashley snickered and smiled as she watched Zach attempt to strap her shield on his arm. After a few minutes of watching him try to get it on, she made a grabby motion with her hand towards the shield.

The young boy walked over and gave her a thankful smile as she tightened the shield on his arm so that it wouldn't slide off. When she was done, she pulled his head a little closer. "Make sure you don't _really _hurt him, okay? And be careful."

"What are you telling him?!" Jack demanded impatiently, and just a bit concernedly.

She rolled her eyes and looked over Zach's head at the winter spirit. "I'm telling him to aim for your nuts." Jack squeaked and covered his crotch.

"You'd better not!"

Zack blinked and pulled her head back down. "Wait," He whispered, "Really?"

Ashley paused and shot Jack a devious grin before nodding at the boy. It wasn't until Jack gave a horrified yelp did she laugh and shake her head. "No, baby, I'm just playing... Don't _actually _aim for his jewels. There might be someone out there dumb and crazy enough to like the delinquent like that..."

"I _heard _that!"

"You were supposed to!~" She sang before ruffling Zach's hair and lightly pushing him to the winter spirit. "Now, go get 'em! _Attack!_"

Zach gave a battle cry and charged forward, only to stop right in front of the teen. The two then began to deck it out in _slo-mo. _Nate scoffed from besides her.

"You're making that kid just like you... _crazy_." Alice turned with a glare on her face and opened her mouth to scold him, but Ashley spoke before she could.

"I know-I'm so _proud_." She pretended to sniffle and wipe a tear from her eye. "Isn't it _beautiful_?!" Alice gave a few strangled noises, looking between her and Nate, before finally shutting her mouth with a bewildered look on her face.

David snorted and gave a tired grin at the blonde woman before nudging Ashley and holding a Starbucks cup. "Here... I do believe you'd appreciate it, unlike _these _guys..."

Ashley gasped and gingerly took hold of the cup like it was the holy grail. She sniffed it, and a bright smile overcame her face. "Pumpkin Spice Latte..." She looked over at the man, still smiling, "You got me this...?"

He smiled and nodded. "Yep." He jumped up, having remembered something, and opened his briefcase and plopping something in her lap. "This, too."

She inhaled, trying to keep calm but kind of failing, and set the latte down. Then, she threw her arms around him, almost _sobbing_ as she hugged him. "You even got me _krimpets!_ I _love_ you, Davey! You are a fantastic person!" David laughed and patted her head. "You have _no idea _how hard it's been, going this long without any form of coffee!"

"I can imagine," David chuckled, "And it sounds terrible... Lucky you have me around." She nodded in agreement, until a snowball hit her in the side of the head.

Ashley nodded to herself a bit before standing up. "I will murder you." She said simply, picking up her cup and gulping down half of it before putting it back down. She looked over at Bunnymund, who was a couple yards away. "You wanna help me?"

Bunnymund gave her a grin. "I'd like nothin' more, Ash..." He walked over and the two fist-bumped before turning to look at Jack, who had watched the two with a dumbfounded look.

"Are you two seriously ganging up on me?!"

Ashley nodded. "Yes. Yes we are."

He gaped at them for a second, before grabbing Zach and pulling him closer. "Fine! But I get dibs on Little Z! He's got your shield! _And _your trident!"

"Pssh, I don't need 'em," She scoffed. "I can kick your butt without them, easy."

Jack started to retort, but a low rumble of thunder that made the ground tremble sounded through the room. Zach's eyes suddenly got wide with terror, and he dropped the trident before running to Ashley with a yelp.

She raised a brow, but picked him up and let him bury his face into the crook of her shoulder without protest. "What's wrong, baby?"

"Sle-Sle-Sle-_Slenderman!_"

She was still a little confused, but decided to humor him. "Okay, what about him...?" She glanced behind her before turning back to Zach, only to double take and look back again. "_Oh_... I get it now," She chuckled, "Don't you worry about Slendy, he's one of the good guys. He helped me out... _sorta_... Well, not really, but... he's never _hurt_ me. Physically." She faltered. "Well, come to think of it, he actually has, but... not intentionally..." She paused. "_Well_-"

"He's not gonna hurt ya, is what she's tryin' ta say." Bunnymund finished for her. She nodded.

"Yeah, what he said. He won't hurt you, unless it's over my cold, lifeless body. Which isn't likely... so chill. It's all good, I promise." The boy gave her an uncertain look, so she smiled and winked at the boy. "I'll always protect you... So, don't you worry your little butt, okay?"

"Okay..."

She grinned and nodded before putting him down and turning to Slendy, who was watching her with his head cocked to the side. "So, what's up, Slendy?"

If he had a face, it would have turned grim. "You all must go back to the battlefield. _Now_."

Everyone jumped up and started to scramble to get where they needed to be. Time seemed to slow down as everyone ran by, and Zach grabbed Ashley's arm just as she was about to join them. She looked down at the boy, whose face was twisted with worry and fear, and kneeled down.

"Ashley, please be careful..." He begged weakly, "Try not to die...?"

She tried to give him an assuring smile, but she was pretty sure it came out as a grimace. "I'll try, Z... I'll try my damnedest." He wrapped his arms around his neck in a hug, and she lightly pressed her lips against his temple when she felt his shoulders start to tremble. "No matter what happens, babe, I _love_ you. And I'll always look out for you... Things may turn out well for me, or maybe they won't... but I _promise _it will for you. I know you're scared-I am, too, but we need to be brave little man... It'll be okay."

He pulled back a bit and rested his forehead against hers. His eyes watered, because the words she said sounded too much like a _goodbye_... But he still nodded as she cupped his face with her warm hands, and kissed his forehead. "I love you, too, Ashley... And... and I'm _proud_, that you're my sister."

She beamed and gave him one more quick hug before standing up and tightening the backpack strap that ran across her torso, and slid her shield off of his arm. Jogging over to her trident, she picked it up and gave him a small, two-fingered salute before running off with the others.

Zach stood besides one of the smaller yetis that Ashley called 'Fitz', and looked up into his furry face. "That's my sister." He told him proudly, trying to smile. "And she's gonna kick the bad guys butts."

* * *

They had a plan.

And it was a very good plan, at that.

They were all going to stay just above the clouds, just out of sight and silent. And then, they would all break through the clouds and surprise the fearlings.

It was a good plan... But, as the sleigh drew closer to that damn field, with the tall golden grasses that swayed in the wind and the faint whisper of wind that, at times, Ashley swore sounded like _people_ murmuring to each other-she just got madder and madder. She didn't exactly know _why_, nor did she care to. And as the sleigh flew through the thick clouds, she could _almost _see the nightmares below... And that was when she decided that stealth was for squares, and jumped over the side of the sleigh.

The girl shifted into a bear mid-air, and roared as she neared the ground, crashing into a particularly unlucky nightmare, claws first.

All the nightmares froze and gaped at the great white bear, who gave them a furry smirk. There must have been thousands... but was she scared? Not even a _little_. "I came to here to smoke cigarettes and kill you all." She rumbled, despite the fact that no one could understand her, before roaring furiously. "And I'm all out of cigarettes!"

She tore into the circle of fearlings faster than they could react, until around five remained. The creatures stared, fear swimming in their glowing eyes, and she snorted as she rose from the grass, fur shedding and trident in hand..

"I lied," She admitted. "I still have plenty of cigarettes... But I'm still going to kill _each and every one of you_." A dark form shot through the clouds and landed roughly next to her.

"Ya _smoke?!_" Bunnymund roared in fury, "Ya bloody bastard, that crap'll kill ya-if _I_ don't do it, first!" Oh, _great_... of all the people Ashley had wanted to know about her little habit, Bunnymund was the _last_...

Ashley tore her trident across a charging fearling's chest, and turned away as it burst into light. "Now isn't really the best time to discuss my bad habits, Bunny!"

"It's _always _time ta discuss my little ankle-biter's health, Ash!" The rabbit retorted angrily, throwing a boomerang into a nightmare and catching it as it flew back. "Since when have ya ever smoked?!"

"Since I was eighteen, which, _by the way_, is the legal age-thank you very much!" She shot back before tackling a fearling to the ground and bashing it across the face with her shield, "You can scold me later, but right now we have things to kill! And I'm _not little!_"

Bunnymund didn't look very happy, but gave a curt nod, nonetheless. "_Fine_."

Gradually, one by one, everyone burst through the clouds and joined in on the fight. Was it as effective as the plan would have been?

Not even close.

But it worked, and that was all Ashley cared about. She had messed up the plan and she knew it, but thankfully things turned out okay, and she was certainly glad for it... She hadn't _intended _to mess up the plan, it just sort of happened... something about the fearlings smell or presence just made her angrier than hell, now.

Which was good. For her...

For the fearlings...?

Not so much.

* * *

Ashley lost track of how long she's been fighting the endless supply of nightmares, constantly having to put up with the _damn _screeching... So, when she finally paused for a second to catch her breath, she realized something. Something rather important...

The Guardians, spirits, and her seemed to have done _nothing _to lessen the sheer amount of fearlings. For every one they killed, two more came to replace it. And not only that, they were starting to get tired... They couldn't keep going like they were...

It killed some of her pride to admit it, but they were losing the fight, slowly but surely...

And then, the shit hit the fan.

Eros hollered Ashley's name, and she looked at him. The ginger pointed frantically behind her with horror in his eyes, and she looked, only to curse as her stomach flipped over and break into a sprint.

Someone was _falling_.

Should she have taken a moment to stop and think about who it was...? _Yeah_, but... Ashley's never been much of a thinker, just a doer.

And that's just what she did. She ran and threw her trident to the ground just before she got underneath the person, and leaped to catch them. The sudden weight made her slam to the ground, but _hey_, the person wasn't a splatter on the ground. So her aching shoulders and torso could go and screw themselves.

She looked down to see who she had got, only to roll her eyes. The person was holding an annoyingly familiar twig... Jack Frost. The stupid kid was gonna get himself _killed _one of these days. Aleksei landed heavily besides her, making the ground jump with a snort.

"Damn," She panted, "You're lucky I caught you... That could've been bad." She faltered, and looked closer at the teen. He looked... well, he looked like shit. What little color he had, had drained out of his face, and he looked _exhausted_. His eyes were dull as she told him, "Maybe you should take five, buddy..."

He breathed a laugh and shook his head. "That wouldn't do a thing..."

She raised a brow and sat up. "What are you-_Holy shit!_" She yelped, eyes widening. A black, wicked-looking arrow was sticking from his stomach, and a sick, black substance was slowly spreading from the wound. Ashley had been around enough to know that that was _not_ blood. "What happened?! You know what-_fuck _that, I don't care. Don't you worry, babe, I'm gonna-I'm gonna fix you up!" As panicked as she was, Jack was laying there with an awfully calm look on his face... and that scared her.

The winter spirit shook his head, but she didn't pay him any mind. She grabbed the arrow and _just _as she started to pull, he let out a scream.

It was... it was pretty horrifying. It was a pain-filled, heart-wrenching scream that brought tears to her eyes, and she immediately let go, curses spilling out of her mouth in a hurried apology. His face twisted with pain and he grabbed her arm. God, he looked so tired...

"It's okay, Ashley..." He told her shakily, the black slowly crawling up his chest and around his arms, "There's nothing you can do... Just leave me... Once you get hit with one of these, you're out of the game. _It's okay_..."

Something about the way he said that... just really shook her. Maybe it was the fact that he was giving up, or maybe it was that he seemed to just... _accept_ death. It made her mad... But most of all, it made her _scared_. Everything in her was just screaming, '_no no no I am not okay with this_,' and as the darkness spread, her head started pounding and throbbing-and Jack looked worse and worse with every passing second.

Her eyes teared up as she scowled. "_No_, it's not fucking okay! You aren't dying on me, Frost! Not today!" Adrenaline pulsed through her veins as she tried to think of a way to stop the darkness. Tangling her fingers in her hair and pulling, she grimaced as she drew a blank. And Jack wasn't fucking helping, _at all!_He kept giving her this tired smile, and-and he put his hand on her cheek, like it was okay-but it wasn't!

She wasn't gonna let him die, damnit! She just had to think, and she knew that, but she _couldn't!_

As the black... whatever it was, began inching up his neck, she got an idea. It wasn't the best one she could have gotten, but it was all she could come up with in her panicking and fuddled mind.

Her trident... it killed nightmares! The black stuff and nightmares looked like they were made of the same thing, so _maybe _it could...

_Nope_. No maybe. She refused to believe that there was a maybe, because maybe sucked. Maybe was uncertainty, and Ashley didn't want to be uncertain when it came to her friend's _life_. So maybe was out of the equation. Her trident _would_ fix Jack, her nightmare would _not_ come true. Not today, or _any other fucking day._ He was gonna be okay. Period. End of story. And once he was, she was going to kick Pitch in the goddamn trachea for daring to even _think _about hurting her friend...

She reached back and grabbed her trident. "Okay, baby... I'm gonna fix you up." She swallowed thickly, trying and sort of failing to be more sure of success. "This is gonna work... It's _gotta _work."

Her heart hammered in her chest, and she lightly touched one of the trident's prongs on the arrow...

For a few horrifying seconds, nothing happened... Then the arrow exploded with light, and a giddy grin crossed Ashley's face as she watched the light spread to all the places the darkness had. By the time it was done, she was bouncing in place, heart soaring and face beaming, laughing at her own brilliance.

Jack gaped at the sight, and looked from where the arrow had just been, to the elated girl. She was so happy and relieved, she must have forgot herself, because tears were leaking out of her eyes like no tomorrow. She grabbed the winter spirit and crushed him to her chest in a bear hug, and even though it kind of hurt (arrow to the stomach and all), he didn't complain. Anyone could tell that she had been really scared, _and _she did kind of save his life... He figured he owed her a hug, at the least. And well... the warmth was always nice, too.

He still had to tease her, though, _just_ a bit. "Aww, you _do _care."

"_Yeah_," She laughed, sniffling, "No shit, Sherlock! Yes, I freakin' care about you... I might never admit to anyone, but _shit_, I care about ya! Damn, I was so freaking scared-I could _kiss _you!"

Jack grinned against her shoulder. "Well, I'm _waiting_... And I always knew you had a crush on me... what, with you crying over me and all."

Ashley's froze, before all but _leaping_ away from the teen and quickly wiping away any stray tears. "I-I wasn't crying, man..." She coughed, "I just... I just had something in my eye. And I _do not _like you! Why does everyone think I like you?!"

Jack gave a smirk, albeit a bit weakly, and started to retort when Vulcan's voice boomed, "_Bomb's away, lads!_"

"Uh oh..." She muttered, before jumping back on the teen and covering him up from the flying dirt and rocks as the ground trembled beneath them, while multiple nightmares screeched. It went on a good few seconds before finally stopping, and when it did, she sat up and rubbed the back of her head with a sour look. "Ow..." She grumbled. "Stupid rocks, man..." She brushed some dirt and stray grasses off of her shoulder before bringing her attention back to the teen. "Alright, let's check this out..."

Maybe it was the fact that her right eye was swelled up and she could barely see out of it, but it kind of looked like there was blood. And since she needed to be sure it wasn't, she lifted up his hoodie. Or rather, she _started _to, before the guy jerked away with a yelp.

"No, no, no! It's fine!"

She deadpanned at the winter spirit. "I'm not gonna strip you or anything, Christ, I'm trying to make sure you won't bleed out on me, Frost. So chill the fuck-" She faltered and squinted at the jagged tear in his hoodie, before blinking. "Yeah, that's definitely blood," She confirmed, trying to lift his hoodie again, only to get stopped again.

As you can imagine, her patience was _pretty_ low at that moment, so she began to get just a _bit _frustrated...

"Damnit, Frost, stop being such a prude! I'm trying to help-We're in the middle of a fucking battle, I'm not gonna _feel you up_ or anything! _Let. Me. Help._"

Jack opened his mouth to protest, only to close it before any words came out. He bit his lip, but nodded meekly. "_Fine_..."

He didn't need to tell her twice... She pulled off her backpack and hurriedly pulled out a clean rag, gauze, and a small tube of Neosporin before pulling up his hoodie and wincing. It wasn't bleeding as much as she'd expect, but she was hoping that that was a good thing. But still... the blood stained his white skin, and she quickly decided that she did _not _like the idea of Jack bleeding.

And she also came to realize that, _oh damn_, that had probably hurt like a bitch when she hugged him... "Sorry," She muttered as she wiped away the blood, sitting up and quickly looking around to see if any fearlings had caught sight of them. None had noticed them yet, but she still figured it was better to be safe than sorry, and dragged Jack and her stuff into taller grass. "I didn't realize that was there, I should'a known better... That had probably hurt, when I hugged you..."

Jack shrugged one shoulder as he watched her work. "A little, but it's okay," Jack's lips twitched up, "I had almost died, and you saved me, for the most part. If you hadn't have, _I _probably would've."

"Me thinks you're gettin' delirious, bud. Just... try not to move while I get this done." She told him slowly and threw the bloody rag off to the side. "You're losing coherency... or I'm just that irresistible."

"Not as much as I am."

"Ha!" She chuckled and shook her head as she sat him up and began smearing Neosporin on the wound. "Maybe, Frost, maybe..."

The teen started to retort, when he realized with a start that _holy crap_, she had actually kinda sorta agreed with him! He would have wrung it out for all it was worth, but he was starting to feel a bit light-headed... And he had never noticed how pretty her eyes were...

"You have pretty eyes." Jack mumbled.

Ashley stopped what she was doing, and gave him a bewildered look. "I knew it," She said with a note of finality, "He's _lost his mind!_" She cupped his face between her hands and lightly shook his head. "Stay with me, bud, we're almost done! Then you can just sit back and sleep or whatever... And also, just so you don't get offended, you have some pretty lovely eyes, too."

She sat him up and began wrapping the gauze around his torso. "So, a belt buckle, but no shirt? What's up with that?" The teen shrugged on shoulder, and she rolled her eyes before ripping the gauze and tucking it in. "_There_."

Dragging herself to her feet, she walked back and gave Jack his staff. He started to stand up as well, but she quickly stopped him. "No, no, no," She told him firmly, like she was talking to a dog, "You stay. You need to let it close up, and other medical junk."

"But I wanna help." He protested.

She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "You can help me by staying right there, where you'll be okay. Okay?"

"But-"

"-I ain't in the mood to play, Jack!" She cut him off shortly, "You almost died. _Died_. Alright? And I'll be _damned_ if I let that nightmare come true, so you're gonna plant your ass _right_ there, and just... stay safe... _please_...?" She'd started that off pretty pissed, but... by the end of it, she was pretty much begging, with the puppy-dog face and everything.

There was a very small number of things Ashley had mastered... and the puppy-dog face was one of them. Don't get her wrong, despite that, she was still a complete _sucker_ for it, and she very, very, _very _seldom pulled it... But when she did... One forgot that she was a scarred, brash, rude, and very impolite girl. When she pulled the face, she pretty much always got what she wanted...

And that time was no exception.

Jack heaved a sigh, and deadpanned at the girl for a while, before reluctantly nodding. And the second he did, her face fell into a relieved demeanor.

"Good." She picked up her trident and cracked her neck. "I think it's time me and the boogie man had a heart-to-heart talk." As she turned and walked through the tall grass, the anger hit her full force, now that she didn't have to worry about Jack.

Several fearlings saw her and charged at her, but she sliced through them without a second glance. With every step, her anger boiled a thousands times hotter. Pitch had tried to kill her bro. He almost _did_. He had hurt her friends, and damn-near mentally scarred her baby. And she was out for blood.

This wasn't her usual brand of anger. As a matter of fact, she had _never_ been mad like this before. It was a fury that burned so hot it was _cold_. Her face held no emotion, although her limbs shook with adrenaline. Every limb, every strand of muscle, every vein in her body screamed for revenge. And damnit all, she was gonna _get it_. Pitch was going to go _down_, and she didn't care if she had to go down with him. She was gonna bring the hurt on. End of story.

She whistled for Aleksei, and waited until the huge reindeer burst from the clouds and landed heavily in front of her. The beast snorted in her face, and she reached up the rub his snout. "Take me to Pitch." He made a noise similar to a whine, and looked down at her concernedly.

"I'll be okay," She told him quietly, "_Take me to the Nightmare King._" Aleksei seemed pretty reluctant, but he nodded and nuzzled the top of her head before she got on. She was suddenly _really _glad she'd taken the time to put crude but doable saddles on all the armor, as she got situated. Once she was on, she patted the side of Aleksei's massive neck. "Let's go."

He grunted and started running for a good few meters before leaping into the air, crashing through several nightmares on the way. It was a rough flight, and if Ashley had been in a normal state of mind, it would have _terrified _her. But, she wasn't.

Aleksei tore through the clouds while Ashley stabbed and slashed through any fearlings that dared come close enough to let her.

It wasn't all that hard to find Pitch. He was standing on a black cloud, just _waiting_ for her, with his hands folded behind his back and a particularly _smug _look on his face. She hopped off of Aleksei and landed on the cloud, half expecting to fall through-though she didn't. When she was sure she wouldn't fall through, she looked over at Aleksei and nodded dismissively.

"You go on, now, buddy," She told him, tightening her grip on the trident until her knuckles were white. "Do your best to keep Jack safe, yeah?" The reindeer nodded and a look of concern flashed through his eyes before he shot down below the clouds.

"Jack's still alive...?" Pitch mused once her attention was drawn back to him. "_Pity_."

Yup... She was _so_ kicking him in the trachea.

* * *

**Author's Note~**

**Boss fight! And cliff hanger! I usually hate doing that, sorry. I was planning on all the fighting to be in one chapter, but I also wanted to finish it all today, before stupid Monday came around, and well... There was no way that was gonna happen. So, I cut it in half, and here ya go. I'll have more time on the computer once I start school, so every one can rest easy... The next chapter _should_ happen pretty soon. Should.  
**

**This one is a little shorter than I've been doing lately... I'll try to make the next one a bit longer, if it isn't already long enough. Got some big things planned for the next one. There's gonna be a movie quote, a mommy, some scares (_not_ for our spirit of courage), and some ass kickery. All of our favorite things! Probably...  
**

**Big thank you to all the people who've read, reviewed, favorited, and followed! I can't describe the big, goofy grin I get when I see new mail in my inbox! Gosh, I freaking love all of you, and if anyone ever wants to talk, PM me C: I've been talking to some lovely fans in the past while-won't say any names, you know who you are ;)-and I must say that you are the loveliest people I've ever had the pleasure of talking to!**

**So, as always, let me know if there are any mistakes, and I hope you got a few laughs out of my goofy little tale!  
**

**, _BlueAsh666_  
**


	17. Chapter 17

"Why must we be so tense? Let's just talk..." Pitch all but purred to the girl. "We're grown-ups, here... Let's do the adult thing, and just talk through our problems..."

Ashley raised a brow, face devoid of any emotion but voice full of spite. "What if I don't want to talk...? What if I wanna stomp you in the trachea...?"

Pitch chuckled lowly as he inspected his fingernail. "Because if you try anything, I'll have you fall through the cloud and to your death... The only reason you haven't yet, is because I think I can still convince you. We got off on the wrong foot, my dear, I can see that, now..."

She raised a brow. "Oh really, now? You've come to realize that kidnapping someone and chaining them up isn't the way to go...? Figured out that when someone says no, you _shouldn't _torture them psychologically?"

He gave a short grunt, apparently not wanting to answer that, before clearing his throat and continuing. "Listen, my dear... I do not want to fight you, if anything, I want to be your _ally_. Your _friend_... We could do so much together, you and I... I could be the father you never had."

"My father was awesome!" She protested, trying to keep herself from lunging at him for insulting her pop. "He taught me right, and he always supported me! You shut your dirty mouth!" Pitch chuckled, and melted into the clouds. Several of his shadows circled around her, and man, she had to internally _scream _to keep herself from lashing out.

"Why...? Are you afraid you'll hear the truth? Did he _really_ teach you correctly...? The whole '_defend the weak and lead the blind'_ charade?" He gave an almost _mocking_ laugh, his voice echoing in the air around her. "No, Ashley... All he did was hold you back. Keep you from gaining the power and respect that you _deserve_. It won't be hard, love, you won't even need to raise a hand against your so-called _friends_... Just turn the other cheek, and let me do all the work."

Her nostrils flared, and her fury bubbled and raged, _begging_ for release... But no, not yet... She couldn't let it out yet. She had to look for a chance to catch him off guard. Until then, just stall him. "What if I don't want to turn my cheek? What it I don't wanna leave the people who can't defend themselves to the wolves?! What if I _want_ to fight for the weak-_what then?_"

He laughed again. But this time, it wasn't mocking... it was almost _sad_. "I once thought like you... I was the _hero_ once, and fought for good... I l_ocked myself away_, for more years than I had counted, just so there could be good in this damned world!" He faltered and quickly composed himself. "But you will find that there is no reward, or gratitude for being good... And the second you turn away, everyone-_everyone_-hates you, just for existing. So you must ask yourself... Are the heroes really as good as they portray...? Either you die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain... And for thousands of years, I was little more than a wives tale, strewn up to keep children in their beds. For thousands of years, I was completely and utterly _alone_. And I fear that someday, you will, too..."

Ashley stared. For a few seconds, she felt _bad_ for him. His voice had been so filled with pain and loneliness and desperation... But she was still quick to remember Little Z and Frost. Although... "Maybe you're right, Pitch," She said slowly, studying him carefully. "Maybe no one will ever reward me or thank me for what I'll do... But I think you _forgot_ something-It isn't about the rewards, or the medals, or the thank-you cards, or _anything_. When you sacrifice for the greater good, you do it for your friends, and your family."

"Sitting up here in the dark, dank clouds, dreaming up plots hasn't been good for you," She continued, a somewhat manic grin crossing her face as the taller man formed by her side, watching her curiously, "It's high time you realized _the gravity _of the situation. I think it's time you got your head out of the clouds..."

He let his guard down. If only for an instant, while he contemplated what she meant by that. Was it enough for any normal, intelligent, and sane person to take the chance...?

Nope. But Ashley wasn't exactly the _sharpest_ or the _straightest _knife in the drawer. So she took the chance, small as it was, and jumped at him as she grew a hell of a lot bigger and furrier, slamming him in the chest with her massive paws and sending them both into the air. Hopefully, her hunch that being a bear would make her more durable was correct... Or else she was in trouble, man.

They quickly plummeted towards the ground, and Ashley made _sure _to use the Nightmare King as a pillow to soften her landing...

And, well... It had hurt. A lot.

But, it had probably hurt a lot more for the boogieman. A half-ton bear landed on him, after all... And then, she proceeded to lift him into the air with her fang-filled mouth by the arm, and then rear up as high as she could before slamming the man into the ground. She heard a sickening _crack! _as he was slammed into the ground, and the rusty tang of blood in her mouth. Pitch's scream filled the air.

If the girl had been in a normal state of mind, this would have disgusted her, and she would have stopped right away. She would have been disgusted and horrified with herself, all the shebang.

But she wasn't exactly in a normal state of mind. She was seeing red, and all that anger that had been building up was coming out. Very, very slowly...

So, as a result, she didn't feel any guilt when she threw him across the field, or when she heard his pained grunts as he tumbled across the ground. Everyone, including the fearlings, had stopped to watch the show. She dropped down into the tall grass, only to rise again as a girl, trident in hand and a scowl on her face.

She stalked over, only to freeze halfway to the Nightmare King when he and a huge, deadly looking scythe raised haphazardly from the ground and swung towards her torso. She tried to dodge it, but she leaped away a second too late. It caught her shoulder, and threw her off to the side like a rag doll. If she didn't have her shoulder guard, she would have lost her arm, too...

But she did, so all it did was slam into her with the force of a barn. It cut across her other shoulder, getting in pretty deep and fucking _burning_, but her adrenaline made her able to ignore it. Mostly.

Ashley must have really messed up his arm, because he was pretty quick to drop his scythe, and as she sprinted over his face twisted with pain as he curled in on himself, gingerly cradling his arm. She slid to a stop in front of him, aiming to slice his face, but missing and only getting his good arm because of his blocking it. So she kicked him between the legs to make up for it. He made a high-pitched squealing sound before kneeling over in pain...

Only to have her kick him in the throat. Not as hard as she _could_ have, but still... hard enough to have him cough up blood. Then she tackled him, and began hitting anything she could reach. The man tried to block her and hit back, and he occasionally _did _hit her. And hard, too... But it wasn't even remotely close to being enough to stop her.

It was ruthless. Gruesome. Cruel, even. She just kept going and going, _fully _intending to kill him. At least, until she stopped...

Only for a moment, understand... To catch her breath. Her chest was heaving for breath, sweat poured down her face, her right arm was screaming, and her hands had gone numb. That was usually the sign to stop, if just for a second...

She saw his face. It was bloody, swelled up to the point where it didn't even look remotely human, anymore. That didn't bother her. It was his eyes... or, what little of his eyes she could see from all the bruising and swelling.

They were scared. _He_ was scared, _Terrified_. Of _her_. It reminded her of the look Zach had given her, when she had been a bear without realizing it and just waltzed right up to him. That look was pointed at her, and it scared her. _She _was the thing he was afraid of, and that was enough to knock her out of her rage.

And then she realized that, _shit_, she had been about to kill this guy! She didn't _kill _people! They would try to kill her, sure, but it was never the other way around. She might beat them up, spit on them when it was over, but she had been fixing to make the final blow... To end a life that she had no right ending.

Ashley heard a voice in her head, then. Maybe watching '_The Hobbit_' three times with Zach had messed up her head, but she could practically _hear_ Gandalf speaking to her. '_True courage is about knowing not when to take a life, but when to spare one.'_

Her mouth was dry as she swallowed thickly, pushing the lump in her throat down, and slowly got off of him. Because she couldn't make her mouth form words nor make her brain think of any, she gave curt nod as a half-assed apology before backing away and turning, feeling horribly numb and hollow inside.

She felt like crap, but she shouldn't have turned away.

If she hadn't turned, she would have seen the wild, desperate look come to his eyes when he realized she wasn't going to do what he had thought she would...

If she hadn't, she would have seen him stand up and form a blade from the shadows...

Bunnymund shouted for her to turn but she was tired, and took a few moments too long to do it. And then, she felt the pain in her back. An indescribably searing, intense pain exploded in her back that made her drop to her knees against her will, and short of breath.

Black began filtering through her vision, and she suddenly felt more exhausted than she ever had in her entire life. Every breath that rattled in her ribcage made her want to sleep, but she forced herself to turn and see what had done that.

Pitch.

Fucking karma, man...

She just got stabbed in the back by the guy. _Literally_. She couldn't turn enough to see _where_ he had gotten her, but judging from the fact that she couldn't feel her legs at _all_, she figured it was safe to assume it was her spine. Which wasn't very good...

Time seemed to slow down as she fell onto her elbows, and she heard multiple war cries as blurred shapes ran towards then past her, probably headed for the boogieman. Everything she heard got more and more muffled, almost like she was underwater.

It was getting hard to breath, and she was just so tired... Ashley had a feeling that she should have been scared, but she wasn't...

She felt small, soft hands touch her face, and she looked up, trying to suppress a grimace of pain as she looked into a familiar face. _Tooth_.

Man, she couldn't even _hear_ what anyone was saying anymore... just a bunch of really muffled noises that almost sounded familiar to voices. The fairy was holding her face, talking to her rapidly, and looking really really _scared_. Her pink eyes shimmered like sunlight on a river, and it made Ashley feel _bad_. She'd never wanted to make anyone sad... Especially not Tooth.

"I dun goofed, momma," Ashley mumbled tiredly, a weak, almost apologetic smile crossing her face. "Sorry..."

Ashley's head slid out of the fairy's hands and drooped down, and she slumped to the floor. She tried to get back up, but her arms trembled before she had even started pushing... it was a lost cause. Despite that, she still tried. Tooth tried to help her as well, but it just didn't work.

The girl was tired... she had a knife in her back, her ears were ringing, she hurt _so fucking much_. She wasn't scared, but she was a little disappointed in herself... and that was the worst feeling of all. At any other time she would deny it, but now wasn't any other time-she wasn't a complete idiot. She could remember this feeling, deep, deep in her memories... Ashley was dying. She'd fulfilled her promise-she'd really had tried to stay alive. No unnecessary risks or acts of heroism, but she still ended up dying. It hadn't even been her temper...

She died because she decided to do something completely uncharacteristic, and show mercy...

Freaking irony, man... That crap really bites people in the ass, huh...?

As she closed her eyes, one last thought ran through her head. _Zach was gonna be really upset..._

_Shit._

* * *

Black.

Suffocating, never-ending darkness. For what felt like ages, that was all there was for Ashley. It smothered her, and time seemed to go on and on... Every time she tried to recall why she was there, her memory slipped through her fingers. And it was kind of pissing her off...

It felt like years went by as she stood alone in the darkness, wondering if it would ever end... _Hopefully _before she lost her goddamn mind.

Then, there was a light. It was a small, small light, that just floated right up in front of her face. Something in her head just told her '_grab it_.'

So she did.

Or she _tried _to, anyways... The damned thing jerked down just before her hand could close around it and then floated back to her face tauntingly.

"_Oh_, you're gonna be like that, huh...?" She muttered. "You're gonna make me work for ya...? That's alright. I'm a stubborn ass with nothing to do, anyways."

And try she did. The damn thing made her sprint, leap, jump up, barrel-roll, and crawl around in her self-given quest to catch it... It was hard work, and for a second she briefly considered quitting...

_Nah_... Quitting was for squares, she decided as she made one last final leap, only to have her hands close around the light she had dubbed '_Squishy_." Giving a victorious cheer, she beamed as she opened up her hands. Squishy nestled into her palm, and started... blinking...?

Squishy got bigger, and a hell of a lot brighter, and it just kept going. And then the _ringing _started...

Ashley dropped Squishy and staggered back, covering her eyes and grimacing. "Okay, okay, I get it!" She yelped exasperatedly, "You don't like to be held! Calm down, would ya?!"

It didn't. In fact, it got _worse_. She fell back on her butt, and curled up in a ball, squeezing her eyes shut and covering her face with her legs and arms, but it _still got through_. It was torture, it was so bright it hurt, and she could still see it as plain as she would if she didn't cover her eyes! She didn't even know that was possible!

And she sat there, curled up on the ground, when it just _stopped_. The light, the ringing, everything... _Did Squishy have a mood swing...?_

She sat up and opened her eyes, only to have her mouth drop. "What the actual fuck...? What just...? _Is this what it's like to be high?_"

The darkness was gone. Squishy wasn't, though... she still wasn't sure if that was a '_yay_' or a '_nay_.' Now, she was in a foggy as hell forest. And she was pretty sure that she was high off of her ass. She couldn't recall taking or doing anything that would make her _this _high.

Ashley was sitting in a clearing of sorts in the middle of a gray, damp forest. Except it wasn't really all that clear... There was still trees rising up from the ground in the clearing... just less. The floor was completely covered in surprisingly bright green foliage, and ferns sprouted out above the plants. And it was quiet... almost painfully so. Just the silent hush of the fogs, and the dampness in the air that made water drop occasionally from the plants around her.

Squishy circled around her a few times before floating off ahead and going back a bit, seemingly wanting her to follow her. The girl raised a brow at the light.

"You assume an awful lot, it you think I'm gonna just follow you without question." He didn't respond, which she had kind of expected, and she heaved a sigh. "Okay... fine, Squishy, I'll follow you," She grumbled, "You'd better not lead me into a spike-filled pit or anything..."

Ashley trudged after the light, only to stop suddenly with a curse. "Wait! Wait, I... I don't have a thing. I'm supposed to have my thing!"

Squishy came back, and she _swore _he cocked his head.

"I'm supposed to have a thing with me," she explained slowly, scrunching her face up and tangling her hands in her hair in an attempt to remember. "There's this thing I'm supposed to have... it goes everywhere with me, but... I can't remember what the thing is... _Shit_, I'm just having all sorts of problems, today! Just... give me a minute, I can remember what it was, I _swear _I can!"

The girl looked down at her bare feet, like they would tell her the answers. They didn't, and she frowned at the offending body parts before jumping up. "Wait a minute, wait a minute! I... Where are my shoes?! And... I was wearing other stuff, right?" _God_, this was killing her. She was just in some jeans and a tank top, which seemed normal but it didn't feel _right_. Like something was missing...

It felt like a _lot _was missing, actually...

She grimaced and tangled her hands in her hair. "Goddamn it, why can't I remember anything?! Did I get hit in the head really hard, or am I high, or _what?!_"

Squishy floated back and, _get this_, sprouted arms! The little bastard lightly pat her cheek and made an echoing cooing noise before gesturing to the girl to follow. She stared at him, blinking profusely.

"You never told me you had arms and could make noise... I'm a little hurt, man." He just shrugged his little shoulders before gesturing for her to follow again. "You really want me to follow you, huh?" He nodded, and she heaved another sigh. She was pretty certain she should be more cautious, but... Squishy was her only lead. In a way, he _had _been helping her, she figured. He got her out of the darkness, after all...

"Okay, Squishy," She sighed. "I can investigate later... You're my only buddy in this, so I guess I'm just gonna have to wing it and trust ya, yeah?" Squishy nodded and made an excited squealing noise before going forward, with Ashley reluctantly following him. And the more they went on, she noticed, the more human-like Squishy became. He was still small, but he had become more of a small white flame, with a torso and arms, and he was starting to form a face...

It was actually pretty cool. A little weird, but still cool...

He led her through bushes, over rocks, and was an all-around terrible leader. He seemed hell bent and determined to get her to follow him _his way_. She had tried to go around a massive rock, and he had a bit of a hissy fit and pouted and _would not _move until she went back and scrambled up the stupid rock. Once she did, he seemed to grin at her before continuing on his way, no sign of his previous behavior to be seen.

Ashley was pretty sure the little guy was bipolar...

But she still followed him, even when she got to a huge mo-foing hill and had to crawl up it while Squishy floated leisurely up the damn thing, complaining all the way.

"Y'know," She muttered breathlessly, "I really hate hills. I'm pretty sure there's a reason, but I can't remember it... I don't suppose following you would help me get my memory back...?"

He looked back and nodded before continuing. That was enough to motivate her to _haul ass_ up that hill, because she _really_ didn't like not knowing things... She was pretty sure there was a reason for that, too, but she couldn't remember it... She would once she went where Squishy wanted her to go to, though!

She crawled up the hill like a pro, only falling and slipping three times. By the time she got to the top, she had mud all over her hands and quite a bit on her face, but man, she didn't care! She was up the stupid fucking hill! That was worth a few hoorahs in her book!

Still... she decided it was time for a break, as she rolled onto her back, panting and covering her eyes with her hand. "I need a nap..."

"Come on, Ashley, are you giving up already?"

The girl shot up from the ground and looked over, only to have her face break out into a grin. "Vergil!" She hopped up and ran over, pulling the man into a hug. "Someone who can actually _talk_, and-and I actually remember you! Thank you, God!"

The man chuckled and ruffled her hair. "Yeah, I'm here," He mused quietly, "And so are you...? I was wondering why I was told to come here."

Ashley raised a brow and looked at the man, only to notice the thing behind him... "Are we at a jail...? I-no, it can't be... The barbed wire is facing _out_, so that means they're trying to keep 'em _out_, not in..." She faltered and pursed her lips in thought.

Like she had said, it looked like she was at a jail... A huge bar fence with spikes and barbed wire on the top ran up from the ground a few meters away, and a doorway stood alone in the fence, with a small table on the right side of it. There was a lone button and clipboard on the table, so she assumed that was how to get in...

She just didn't know what was in. It was so damn foggy, she couldn't see anything past a few feet within the fence. Ashley looked back at Vergil and frowned. "I... I don't understand."

"I'm gonna be honest with you, I do not completely understand, either," He admitted, idly scratching the back of his head. "I know you got severely injured, something that would normally kill a regular person... but what usually happens is you get knocked out a bit, and then wake up... I'm not sure why you are at the gates."

"The gates?" She asked slowly, "The gates to what...?"

Vergil hummed. "There are many words for this place... Heaven, Elysium, Paradise..."

"So... I'm dead...?"

"Not quite yet, Ace," He assured her, "I suppose the ones in charge are giving you a choice. You've done your duty... they are letting you choose: do you want to go to the fields of Elysium...? With me, your mother, fallen friends and family? Or do you wish to go back?" As he said that, a portal opened a few feet away from the table. Colors swirled around the edges, and the inside glowed blue faintly. Voices, familiar voices that she was _sure _she knew but couldn't place any names on cried from the portal.

The voices sounded so _sad_... And even though she couldn't be sure who they belonged to, the voices tugged at her heartstrings. "I... I can't remember anything, how am I supposed to make a choice?!"

Vergil frowned and put a hand on her shoulder. "I do not know, Ace... That is just the way the guys in charge work. Maybe it's so your choice won't be biased...? Maybe they are testing you...? I can't be sure."

"_Ya can't go out on us like this, Ash!_"

She grimaced and tangled her fingers in her hair as more voices, unbearably sad called for her to come back. Finally, she cried out. "Make it stop, damn it! I can't think like this!" And it did. Not completely, but it was considerably quieter now, just hushed, urgent whispers and choked sobs. It wasn't what she wanted, but it was a little better...

"Elysium is a great place," Vergil told her quietly. "It _is _paradise. All the good dreams you've ever had can come true, here... Infinite knowledge. You can have adventure beyond your wildest dreams. Endless feasts, with all the great men and women of history. And you have people waiting for you, here... If you look, you can see the shapes of them within the gates, coming to see your decision..."

Ashley bit her lip and walked over to the fence, looking in and squinting. And lo and behold, Vergil wasn't lying... She could see the faintest shapes of people, coming closer... And the faint pleas for her to open her eyes cried in her ears.

Turning and closing her eyes, she whined in frustration as she fell to the ground and crossed her legs. The people she could hear... they really seemed to care about her. Would it be right to leave them like that...?

Vergil sighed and crouched down next to her. "This is a great place, Ace, and I _would _recommend it to you, but... It sounds to me like some people aren't ready for you to go, so I can't without a guilty heart. No matter what you choose, I'll be behind you one hundred percent of the time...Either go through the portal, or sign the sheet, push the button and then go on in."

She grunted and rubbed her cheek, only to falter when she heard a familiar but unplaceable voice call her from the fence. She glanced back and raised a brow.

A lady was right against the fence with an ecstatic grin on her face. The lady was small in pretty much every aspect of the word. Short with small hands and bright eyes. Her face was clean and smooth, and her hair was neatly brushed back. She was actually _really _pretty... The lady's hair was actually pretty similar to Ashley's, just a little redder and neat. Something in her gut was telling her to go hug the lady, but her head was telling her that that would be stupid-she didn't know who she was, after all...

Vergil nudged Ashley and gestured to the lady. "You should probably go see and talk to her, Ace... She _is _your mom, after all..."

Ashley faltered and cocked her head to the side. "I... She is...?"

He nodded and lightly pushed her towards the woman. "Yeah... Go talk to her, champ, it won't hurt anything!"

She shrugged and walked over a bit uncertainly, and the closer she got, the more excited the lady got. When she got close enough, the lady stuck her arms through the fence and hugged her.

At first, Ashley tensed up and flinched, but she quickly relaxed against the woman who was supposedly her mom. The hug felt... really familiar, actually. It made her feel safe, and soon enough, she was hugging the lady back.

When the lady-her mom-pulled away, she beamed at the younger girl and put her _really_ soft hand on her face. "Gosh, you got so big, baby... _Look _at you!" She laughed.

Ashley tried not to look awkward or confused as she nodded and grinned, just going with it. "Yup, look at me... mom...?"

The lady looked a bit confused as to why Ashley was asking, when she remembered and slapped her tiny palm to her forehead. "Oh, right... You can't remember more than your name and Vergil..." She muttered a curse under her breath before looking back up at her daughter with a grin that matched her daughter's, "Yes, I'm your mom... And I am _so _proud of you..."

More people came through the fog. Some familiar, some not. They didn't talk, they just smiled at the girl and waved. A rat crawled up her mom's leg and rested on her shoulder, squeaking happily as Ashley reached her hand through the bars and lightly stroked it's cheek.

Her mom smiled fondly up at the girl, and lightly stroked her cheek. Ashley couldn't really remember the woman at the moment, but she could tell that this woman-her mom, loved her very, very much... And with the way that her heart yearned out and _craved _for the older woman's touch and praise, Ashley could tell that she had loved her, too.

They all seemed so happy... to see _her_. Ashley looked back at Vergil, and he smiled back at her. Something about the place... she just felt like she belonged there. Maybe... maybe it was her time. And that was her reasoning, as she looked over at the table without a second glance at the portal.

Thunder rumbled as she walked back over to the table, still a little uncertain but less so than she was before, and a familiarly smooth, calming voice rumbled around her. "_It's your choice."_

Right... It was _her_ choice. So why did it feel... almost _wrong_...? Like she was betraying and letting down a lot of people, as she picked up the pen and pushed the point to the clipboard...

Just as she was putting down the 'e,' a voice yelled right in her ear. A voice that was young and old, and horribly, _horribly _desperate and scared...

"_Ashley! Don't you dare die on me! You saved my skin, and I still owe you!_" Ashley yelped and dropped the pen, quickly covering her ears, but the scream still came through. "_What about Zach?! You died on Zach once, are you gonna do it again?!_"

Another voice came through, a rough, accented voice that sounded rather defeated. "_It ain't gonna do no good, mate... I doubt she can hear ya._"

"_But what if she can?!_"

Ashley grimaced as the voices faded out again, and leaned heavily on the table. Damn... that complicated things... Zach... who was that...? It... it must be someone important, right? It _felt _like it was something important... She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Vergil," She started quietly, "Is there... If I turn this down, and go back... will there ever be a chance for me to come back again...?"

He nodded, and gave her a proud smile. "Yeah, Ace... You will _definitely _get the chance to come back here again."

She sighed and rested her hands on the table, weighing out her options for a few minutes... Or rather, she _pretended _to.

The choice was already decided in her head, bright and clear.

Heaving a sigh, Ashley turned back to the ever-patient mother that she couldn't remember, and gave a rather weak, apologetic smile. "Sorry, mama... I can't do this with a clear conscience... I gotta go back."

Her mom smiled gently, with a touch melancholy in her eyes. "I know you do, baby... Remember that I love you very, _very _much, you little trouble-maker. I'm so proud of you..."

Ashley gave a two-fingered salute, and waved at everyone else. "Ya'll stay out of trouble now. I'll see you sometime or another..." She stood up straighter and nodded at Vergil. "Okay," She breathed, "I guess I'm ready to go, now. I'll see you again, right...?"

Vergil laughed and gave the girl a one armed hug. "You know it, Ace! As soon as I have an excuse to, I'll be there!" He ruffled her hair and beamed, saying a bit quieter, more to himself than her, "I knew I picked the right one..."

Vergil pulled away and stood a few feet back as she approached the portal. She reached out to touch it, only to falter and look back at the faces that watched her from behind the wall, silently trying to memorize each one before nodding, more to herself than anything before touching the swirl of colors.

The second she came in contact with the colors, it reared back like a wave in the ocean before completely overcoming her and sucking her in, earning a surprised yelp from her and a barked laugh from Vergil.

"See you on the other side, Ace!"

She soon lost sight of the gate, people, and Vergil. She was suddenly falling, hair flying in the air as she spun around through the air, distant voices getting more and more clear with every second that passed... It occurred to her that it probably _wasn't _supposed to be fun...

But was it...?

Yes. Man, it was _so _much fun! She had to close her eyes because of how fast she was going, but that didn't stop her from letting out a whoop as she fell through the air! She did flips and twists through the air, grinning like a maniac, until she was finally jerked to a stop.

The second she stopped, she lost consciousness, and any and all thoughts left her head.

* * *

When Ashley opened her eyes again, she motherfucking _hurt_. Especially her back, man...

It was snowing pretty hard, she noticed... And there was a hell of a lot of people crowded around her. Bunnymund was holding her up in his lap, one arm around her protectively. Tooth was quietly sobbing, covering her face and _trying_ not to cry, but failing. Even Jack was there, and maybe she still couldn't see as clearly as normal, but it almost looked like _he _had a tear running down his face too, as he clenched his teeth together.

But none of them noticed she was kicking, yet...

Yup. That tells you a lot about how attentive spirits can be. And she decided that since everyone looked really sad, she might as well try to lighten the mood while letting them know she was okay, right...?

"Damn, my back," The girl groaned, "It feels like someone just stuck a knife in my spine... _Oh wait_."

And next thing she knew, Bunnymund was crushing her in a hug. It might not have hurt so much if it weren't for the, you know... the knife in her back.

"_Ow_, mother ffffffffffff-" She cut herself off mid-curse, clenching her hands together as the old rabbit quickly stopped, apologizing profusely. She waved him off, grinning weakly. "S'okay," She wheezed, "It's not like I _needed _my spine. Spines are for squares... Ha, who needs 'em...?"

Bunnymund beamed at the girl with tear filled eyes. "Bloody hell, ya gave us quite the scare, there, Ash..."

Ashley nodded tiredly. "Yeah, I figured..." She momentarily forgot that she had a knife in her back, and tried to sit up, only to wince. "Okay, y'know what? I'll stay here... Did I get the bad guy...?"

Nate laughed and smiled at her. "Hell yeah, you got the bad guy! You kicked his fuckin' ass! You went cuckoo on him-your eyes were all glowin' and shit, it was fucking awesome!"

"I... really...?" She asked slowly, "When did _that _happen?"

"Right when you jumped on 'im and took him out a' the sky, yo! Looked up and you're eyes were all glowy! You really tore a new hole on the son of a bitch!" Nate barked another laugh and lit a cigarette. "That was some fly shit, Lee. Do it again."

"I... I didn't know that happened..." She admitted. "That sounds pretty cool, though... Did you get a picture?"

"Naw, man... I wish I did though, I would'a fuckin' _framed _that shit!"

Ashley started to laugh, only to quickly stop and grimace. "Ow... I need a nap, man..." she glanced over at Jack, and narrowed her eyes. "And _you_." She pointed accusingly at Jack. "You were supposed to stay hidden and safe, you damned delinquent!"

The teen held his hands up. "Gee, I'm sorry," He told her with no small amount of smart-assiness, "I thought you were dead!"

"You got shot in the gut with an _arrow!_" She scolded.

Jack scoffed and gave her a bewildered look. "And you got stabbed in the _back_. Can you blame me?!"

"Yes." She confirmed, reaching back and feeling around her back, "I can. And I think it's time I..." She trailed off and winced once she got her hand wrapped around the blade, and quickly pulling it out before anyone realized what she was trying to do.

And, well...

She screamed. Loudly, too... She immediately regretted it, even with_out _everyone scolding and yelling at her for doing it.

"Why would you do that?!"

"Are you insane?!"

"Vhy vould you do that, it vas fine! Ve vould have handled it!"

"I don't like sharp things sticking in my body, okay?!" She yelped as tears welled and leaked out of the corners of her eyes. "I just gained consciousness, I was drowsy and I do stupid shit when I'm drowsy! Why weren't you paying attent-FUCK, that hurts! Quick, someone hit me in the head really hard and knock me out-_Damnit_, make it stop!"

Sandy got closer, pounding his fist into his palm, when Bunnymund hit the little man in the shoulder. "Don't hit her, ya gumby! She's bad enough as it is-Use your bloody dream sand!"

Sandy's face lit up, like that had never occurred to him, and formed a golden ball in his hands before throwing it in the screaming girl's face. She faltered, and her eyes widened for a brief second before drooping closed.

"Yeah, that's... a lot better." She mumbled as she fell back against Bunnymund, giving a drowsy grin as golden dogs began chasing each other around above her head. "_Puppies_..."

Aaaand, she was out. _Again_. Although, this time she didn't particularly mind it... If she wasn't conscious, she couldn't feel the hurt.

It really just wasn't her day...

* * *

**Author's Note~**

**I'm gonna keep this one short and sweet so I can get working on the next one. So, sorry this took a while, you can yell at me all you want-I won't mind, I kinda deserve it, yo.**

**Thanks to all my peeps, yo! ILU BBYS You are all SO lovely and amazing and just-UGH. If I could hug all of you, I flippin' would.  
**

**Bear with me guys! ʕ´ᴥ`ʔ  
Ha, get it...? I said bear with me, and then the... the bear...? No...? Okay...  
**

**Let me know if I made any mistakes or did anything wrong or anything of the like. And as always, I hope you got a few laughs out of my goofy little tale!  
**

**,_BlueAsh666_  
**


	18. Chapter 18

When Ashley opened her eyes, she was quick to notice that she felt _really fucking crappy_... She also hurt. Like, a lot... Especially her back... Maybe a she'd had a rough night with a lot of alcohol...? It would explain why she felt a bit off... She didn't do that very often...

Well, _never_, more like it. Maybe she'd wanted to try it once...? _Nah_, she wouldn't... _probably_.

As she laid there on her side, pondering as to why she felt like shit, it hit her. She had fought the Nightmare King! And... it was surprisingly easy.

She really had expected more from him. Kinda disappointing...

But! But, but, but! She had died! She had kicked ass, then gotten her ass handed back to her! And then it was dark, and she had been in a forest, and-She was-she had seen her mom! She had been at the gates of heaven and seen her mom and-!

Dude! She had to go-go tell Zach about it or something, what a tale she had to tell!

She wanted to move, and she _started_ to, when she noticed that something-some_one _was clinging to her torso...

The girl's face broke into a smile.

Zach must have crawled in the bed with her... The kid was using her outstretched arm as a pillow, and clung to her sides like she would turn to dust of he let go. Her arm was thrown around the boy-probably done in her sleep, and she gently raised her arm to run her fingers through his hair.

He mumbled something under his breath, and nuzzled her neck. She grinned in response and looked in front of her, only to damn-near leap out of her skin and scream.

Freaking, Jack, man! He was gonna be the death of her one day, she swore it! Grimacing, she clutched her racing heart with her free hand and calmed herself down. God, the way his head was tucked into his arms and his way too pale skin-he looked _dead!_ She really needed to go make that boy get a tan... _Especially _if he was gonna be wearing white t-shirts like he was! Bejesus!

Man, the guy was lucky he was sleeping, or she'd have whacked him in the head. Puffing out her cheeks in silent annoyance, she huffed before stopping and looking around.

"Back in the nurses office..." She mused to herself quietly, raising a brow when she realized that, no joke, _everyone _she had ever met since she'd become the spirit of courage was squeezed into the infirmary, and then some... And they were all snoring away, sleeping anywhere they could find room. Bunnymund was curled up at the foot of the bed she was in, and Alice was using North's massive frame as a pillow.

Was... was all this for her...? If it was, all these people were _clearly_ insane. Even _she_ wouldn't wait for herself to wake up. Now, if it were Zach or Bunnymund or someone else that was cool, sure, but _her?!_ Shoosh... she _hoped _they weren't hanging around for her.

There was a small window in the room. It was pretty dark out, with a tinge of pink in the sky, so she was guessing that it was either fairly late in the evening or really early in the morning...

Ashley turned back to Jack and put her hand in his hair, ruffling it slightly. "_Hey_. Wake up, would ya, Frost?"

The winter spirit gave a quiet groan and peeked an eye open. He caught sight of her and a tired smile crossed his face before jumping up like he'd suddenly remembered that he left his cookies in the oven. His eyes widened and a goofy grin crossed his face. "You're!-"

"Shhh!" She hissed, jerking her head down to Little Z, putting a finger over her lips. "People are trying to sleep." He nodded and calmed down a bit, but he still had that goofy smile. Once he had put his head back down on the bed and she was _sure _he wouldn't wake anyone up, she grunted, "What are you doing here right next to my bed, man, I don't like you..."

She'd meant it as a joke, but... he must not have caught it, because his face twisted into a look of hurt, and she immediately felt bad. It wasn't just any old hurt, either. It was the hurt, disappointed look a puppy gives you when it brings you a dead squirrel and you recoil with disgust. It wasn't the kind of of look anyone, _especially _Ashley, would have wanted to receive.

"But-but I... I had to fight to get to sit here," He protested weakly, "I... I thought..." His voice cracked, and well... That tore it for her.

Wincing, she held up her hand reassuringly. "Sorry, I-I was just kidding, babe, I'm sorry... I'm just-I just woke up, and my humor is kind of failing me and... That came out less jokingly and meaner than I'd intended it to. You're my best bud, man, honest." Just for good measure, she reached over and lightly pat his cheek. "I'd damn-well kill for you, and you'd _better _believe it."

He still didn't look sure or relieved enough for her standards, so she moved as much as she dared to against the pain and risk of waking up Zach. She scootched a bit closer, and brushed a bit of his silvery hair from his forehead before lightly pressing her lips against the pale skin above his brow.

"If you think I'd ever tell you that I don't like you and mean it, you've got another thing coming, Frost..."

His face turned a bit darker (to which Ashley raised a brow) and smiled as she leaned back, placing her hand hand back on top of his head and running her fingers through his hair. An uncharacteristically affectionate action, but he wasn't complaining. "Are you feeling alright? Your back hurts, right?"

She shrugged her one shoulder. "Yeah, but I'm alive, aren't I?"

"Yeah," He breathed, laughing a bit as relief flooded his voice. "You are... You really had us all going there, you know that...? I... We thought you were dead."

"Oh, I was," She confirmed offhandedly, "I was gone. Right at the gates of heaven. By the way... how long has it been since I've been out?"

He gave her a look, but shrugged it off before answering. "Just a few days."

"And what about you-are you okay? Don't hurt too bad, do ya?"

"Nope."

Ashley hummed and nodded her head. "Good, good..." Stifling another yawn, she added more to herself than the winter spirit, "I'm surprised I don't hurt more..."

Jack glanced down at her arm before looking back up at her and smirking. "_I'm _surprised you haven't freaked out over the needle yet."

She froze and looked down at the arm Zach was sleeping on and had to suppress a scream, with only a small, high-pitched squeak coming out which made Bunnymund's ears twitch. "Oh God," She choked out, grabbing the winter spirit's sleeve. "Take it out, man, _take it out!_"

He fought back laughter at the panicking girl and tried to calm her down. "I can't, you need or something, just calm down."

"I _can't _calm down, there's a fucking needle in my arm!" She yelped, trying with everything she had to stay as quiet as she could, heart racing the more she looked at it. "I'm _dying..._ Oh God, it hurts, it _pains _me!"

"You didn't even notice it until I mentioned it!"

"I don't care, just get it out!" She whimpered, squeezing her eyes shut and resisting the urge to jump up and scream. "I don't like pointy, sharp thing in my body parts! Agh, it hurts-ow, ow, ow!" When he didn't move to do anything in the next few milliseconds, she decided to take matters into her own hands and more or less ripped out the needle, much to the dismay of Jack.

"What are you-I-but-are you crazy?!" He hissed as she nursed the spot where the needle had been, "You could have messed something up, doing that!"

"It hurt!" She defended.

"You didn't even feel it until I pointed it out!"

She opened her mouth to deny it, but she knew that to say that would be a lie... so she closed her mouth and huffed. "I don't like needles or-or knives in my body parts, God!"

The boy heaved a sigh and gave her a look. "If you weren't already hurt, I'd smack you upside the head."

"No, you wouldn't," She dismissed with a wave of her hand, "You flippin' love me, don't deny it."

He scoffed. "If anything, _you_ love _me_. If I do recall correctly, you _agreed_ with me when I said I was irresistible!" _Sheesh_... she was already regretting telling him '_maybe_.'

"You were delirious from blood loss, and I didn't want to hurt your feelings!" She defended, "And you're forgetting that you said _I_ was, too! _Oooh_, if I didn't have a hole in my back, and if you didn't have one in your gut... the things I could do..." Jack raised his eyebrows at her, and she quickly added, "Not-not like, sexual things-punchy and kicky things. Not bow-chicka-bow-wow things, ow-my-face-hurts things."

His face turned red, and Ashley grinned as he covered his face with his hands. "What is _wrong _with you...?"

"Well... I died not too long ago, and I _do _have a hole in my back..."

The teen grunted and grumbled something into his hands before going silent.

It was quiet for quite a while, actually. Not an awkward or tense silence, just a companionable silence. It was nice... She had been fixing to go back to sleep. She snuggled her face back into the pillow and calmed down. It had been a while since things had been so quiet, so of _course_, Jack had to go and break it...

"Hey, Ash...?"

Said girl heaved a sigh. "What's up, babe...?"

"What did you mean, when you said you were right at the gates of heaven...?"

"I said what I meant and I meant what I said, Frost." She mumbled. "I was right at the gates of heaven. Had to decide whether or not I wanted to stay or go back and live." Idly scratching her neck, she awkwardly added. "I... I almost chose to stay in heaven, to be honest."

A look of fear crossed his eyes for a minute, but she was quick to stamp it out. "Clearly, though, I didn't. I turned down the invite to heaven... because I'm an idiot," She said dryly, "And when I heard you crying, I felt really bad, despite the fact that I didn't even remember who you were..."

The boy gave her a bewildered look, and just stared for a while, before nodding to himself and leaning closer. "Okay... You need to tell me what happened after you went down."

Now, Ashley was tired... she really wanted to go back to sleep, _but _she also knew that she could sleep whenever she wanted to, now.

So she sat up a bit, wincing as she did so, before spinning out her tale. She told him of the never-ending darkness, of the suffocating silence that was louder than anything she had ever experienced. Of Squishy, and the gray, silent forest. She regarded the little light with slight annoyance, but also with humor and fondness. She told him about her struggle up the wet, muddy hill, and meeting with Vergil, who was the only person she'd been able to remember during the whole thing.

At the next part... She was a bit hesitant with that one. She wasn't sure she _wanted_ him to know just how close she had been to leaving them, how she had _wanted _to go inside the gates, completely willingly...

But, nevertheless, the teen eased it out of her, bit by bit. He got her to admit that she had wanted, _so_ badly, to go to heaven. She told about seeing her mom, and all the old friends that she hadn't even recognized. It was, well, _paradise_. And she really had wanted to go to it. She'd heard them, calling to her, begging for her to stay with them, but she had _ignored _it.

It didn't feel right, saying that. She felt like a royal bastard thinking about it, and even more so telling him to his face that she had wanted to leave them behind. But he didn't really seem all that mad... As a matter of fact, he almost seemed _happy_. But that would be ridiculous...

The corners of Jack's lips turned up as her story came to a close. "Well, in the end you chose us, and I'm _really_ glad you did." _Oh_. Maybe it wasn't so ridiculous...

"You... you're not mad...?" When he shook his head, she snorted and looked up at the ceiling. "And they say _I'm_ the crazy one..." Looking back at Jack, she started to tell him to go back to sleep. _Started _to...

But, it just so happened that Zach started to wake up right at that moment.

The young boy stirred and stifled a yawn before opening up his eyes. Ashley bit back a complaint, something along the lines of '_never getting any fucking sleep anymore_' and gave a crooked grin at the boy. Jack noted that the girl's eyes brightened considerably as she ran her fingers through Zach's hair in a half-hearted attempt to fix it.

"Hey there, little man. Guess who's not dead?" The boy drunk in the sight of her a few seconds before breaking out into a smile.

"Ashley!" He cried out joyfully, relief flooding his voice, "You're okay!"

"No shit!" She agreed heartily, pulling him closer and kissing his nose. The young boy didn't even protest in mock embarrassment, and she beamed at him. "I did pretty alright, yeah? Everyone's okay, and I got the bad guy. I didn't even mess everything up this time-can you believe it?! _I _can't!"

"_Ash!_" Bunnymund's ecstatic voice rang through the room, and said girl had barely a moment's notice to prepare herself before the old pooka leaped at her, carefully but also quickly pulling both her and Zach into a hug. Also waking up _every freaking person in the room_. Ashley could find it in her heart to overlook it, though... If Bunnymund had pulled what she had on her, she probably would've yelled, too.

She really did like getting hugs from the old bunny... It was familiar, and warm, and _really _soft. He smelt pretty good, too, if that didn't sound too odd. Like a clean forest and faintly of chocolate. She almost didn't notice the stinging pain in her shoulder, as she rubbed her cheek against his furry chest and hugged him back.

"Bloody hell, Ash, you had me scared half to death!" He scolded her lightly, "I thought ya were a goner! Don't you _ever _pull that kinda crap on me again, ya hear?"

"I hear," She grinned. "I _also _heard you crying, by the way. I didn't know you cared so much." A low hum reverberated from his chest, and Bunnymund nuzzled the top of her head, making her already messy hair ever messier. Too bad she had no fucks to give about her hair...

"Yeah, ya bet your arse I was... I thought my little ankle-biter went to the light."

And right after that, freaking _everyone _in the room exploded. They all jumped up, cheering and or scolding her for not being more cautious and turning her back on the boogie man.

Then Tooth gave a very excited squeal and hugged the girl around the neck. Did it hurt...?

Yes.

But did she have the heart to make that known to well-meaning fairy?

Absolutely _not_. So she just sucked it up, and put on her game face as Tooth kissed her all over her face. It struck her that that was something her mom used to do long, long ago... And as embarrassing as it was, it also uplifted her spirits more than they already were.

Tooth finally stopped and pulled away a bit to scold her a bit. "Don't you _ever_ do that again. You made all of us absolutely _terrified_. We were all crying and sad and-"

Jack coughed. "Well... we weren't _all _crying."

"Lies!" Tooth scoffed and stabbed the white-haired teen in the chest with her finger. "You were crying just as much as the rest of us!"

"Was not!"

North rolled his eyes at the teen. "Is right. You vere probably crying _more_, now that I think of it." The large man ignored the winter spirit's protests and beamed at Ashley, eyes lit up like a blue Christmas light. "Ve are glad to see you alright, Ashvey. You have done good, and ve are very proud of you." Sandy, as well as most of everyone else in the room nodded in agreement...

Hearing that made Ashley falter. She had to stop what she was doing, because, well, it _surprised_ her. She wasn't used to hearing that... She'd gone a large whole of her life messing things up and getting things wrong. _Shit_, look at all the stuff she had messed up on in the big boss fight!

She had ruined the plan. Bunnymund had found out about her smoking. She _almost_ failed to save Jack. She'd went up against Pitch by herself, which was an _incredibly_ stupid move, by the way. Almost _killed _the guy, and ended up making another huge mistake-turning her back on the Nightmare King and getting killed herself... She had considered the whole thing a failure, but here everyone was, telling her that she had done good.

It felt good. _Really _good. Would they tell her the same if they were to find out about how she selfishly almost left them behind...? Probably not.

Now, would she tell them if they asked? Most likely, yeah... Luckily, they didn't seem too intent on knowing what had went on when she went out of it. It was a damn good thing that only Jack had been awake to hear about. Even _better_ that he didn't seem to mind it. And maybe... _just _maybe, he would keep it a little secret between the two of them.

Until then, she would bask in the praise, because damnit, she rarely ever got it from anyone that wasn't Zach. And even then, when the boy praised her, she always found herself with a little lump in her throat. So, as I'm sure you can imagine, she had a pretty hard time keeping herself composed when the full meaning behind North's words hit her.

"Wow," She cleared her throat when her voice cracked, and looked down at her hands. "Um... thank you...?" Her face felt a few degrees too hot all of the sudden, and Eros gave a rather loud bark of a laugh.

"Ha! You're blushing! I don't recall _ever_seeing you blush!" The ginger man grinned, and Nate slapped him upside the head.

"Don't be such a motherfuckin' dick, yo..."

Ashley _started_to scold Nate for cursing in front of her baby, but Zach let out a giddy whoop of excitement and suddenly hugged the girl before she could start. He nuzzled the crook of her neck, mumbling quietly. "I love you."

Said girl paused and glanced down at the boy before giving him a fond smile and running her hand through his hair. "Yeah, baby, I know," She told him quietly. "And I love you, too. Always will, too." She stopped when she realized that pretty much _everyone _was staring at her. North and Bunny were looking at her with pride in their eyes, Tooth with fondness, and Jack with... yearning...?

_Eh_... She'd never been good at reading body language. Too much work and all that...

She sighed with content and leaned against Bunnymund, who beamed down at her. Idle, happy chatter filled the air, and she couldn't help but wonder to herself... _What now?_

"Now, we revel in our victory."

Ashley was the only one in the room who didn't jump at Slendy's sudden appearance. She was also the only one who rolled her eyes and acted almost _annoyed_.

"Y'know, instead of reading my mind, you could just... I dunno, say '_hi_' like a normal person." She said dryly, turning her head as far as she could without causing a stinging pain in her back to greet her faceless friend. "Hey, Slendy. How are ya?"

If the tall being had a mouth, he would have smiled. "Fine, now. Better than I have been, now that everything is balanced. Natas appreciates it, too, I'm sure. This whole ordeal has shaken him quite a bit."

Nate scowled. "'Ey, ey! You don't need ta be goin' around spoutin' my lame-ass name like that!"

Slendy pointedly ignored the scraggly man and leaned down to be more level with Ashley's face. "You have done us a great service."

"Yup. You should get me a medal. Bitches love medals," She informed him jokingly. "Have a whole ceremony for it and all the stuff."

A single, bony hand came to his chin in thought as he hummed. "Yes... We should." Slendy straightened suddenly and nodded to himself. "We will."

She jerked and gave him a bewildered look. "Wait, _say what now?!_" She shook her head vigorously as her eyes widened. "Naw, no, no, nonono, I don't-I was just-"

"-My apologies for cutting this short, but I must go and make the appropriate preparations-"

"-Wait a cotton-picking second, I wasn't _serious_, I was just-" Slendy folded his hands behind his back.

"-Everyone, be sure to dress your best. It will be quite the occasion. Nate, that means you must wear a shirt."

Both Nate _and _Ashley were protesting now.

"What?!"

"_Wait a second!_" The young girl all but screamed. "I don't wanna-!"

A crack of thunder rumbled, and with a flash of light, her Slenderman was gone.

Ashley's eye twitched as she stared at the spot Slendy once was. Her temper boiled inside her gut, and she ground her teeth together before yelling in frustration, "SON OF A PROTESTANT WHORE-Would it kill you to stop a second and listen?!"

It appeared that today wasn't her day either...

* * *

**Author's Note~**

**THIS IS SO LATE WUT. I am a rate-A ass hole. And I'm sorry. But this part... This one part! I could not right it. At all. I just had the damnedest time writing it. When I was in the shower or laying in bed, the words SCREAMED at me, but once I got to a computer, I just drew a blank. And because of that, I would just go and waste time on Tumblr. SO, if this part seems a little rushed... It is. I got tired of having good flipping ideas and then losing them, so I just grabbed the basis and slapped it on and I am so agitated. I JUST WANNA BE DONE WITH THIS ONE PART I'M SORRY IT'S NOT REALLY GOOD OTL  
**

**So... There's my lame excuse, homies. I will take the hate in stride, now. I honestly can't believe you guys have put up with me so long... I don't why, but I'm bloody glad you do, and I appreciate it. Even I wouldn't put up with me, heaven knows why you do. No joke, every other day, I'll pull up the thing and stare, just wondering WHY? Can I like, hug all of you? I would. You and me, guiz. Solvin' crimes and makin' up rhymes.  
**

**Ahem, so... If I made some mistakes or anything, let me know, eh? And as always, I hope you got a few laughs out of my lame little story.  
**

**ʕ´ᴥ`ʔ Bear with me guys. I'm trying, I really am. Up next-A party!  
**

**, _BlueAsh666_  
**


	19. Chapter 19

"Get up!" Zach hollered as he tried (and failed) to put on his tie. "You need to get ready!"

Tooth and Alice let out a simultaneous squeal of excitement. "Yeah, we picked out the perfect dress for you!"

Ashley groaned into the pillow. "But I don't wanna wear a dress..."

The boy glared at the sprawled out form of Ashley and put his hands on his hips. "If you don't get up _right now_, I _swear_ I will eat all of the cake!"

"There's... cake...?"

"Yup."

The girl laid there for a few milliseconds before jumping up onto her feet. "What are you standing around for?! Go go go!" When she saw him struggling with his tie, she rolled her eyes and slapped his hands away before doing it for him. Once she was done, she nuzzled the top of his head really quickly before lightly pushing him towards the door. "Okay, okay, I'll get dressed, get outta here you little bugger!"

He grinned at her before trotting out the door, limping a bit. The boy didn't even use his crutches anymore, and she was _so_ proud of the little guy. It made her feel like a balloon was being filled with air in her chest...

However, when she turned to look at Alice and Tooth, the balloon got a hole and quickly deflated. Her shoulders slumped and she gave a low whine. "You're kidding, right...?"

The two women held up the fancy velvety-looking green dress and beamed at her, not answering her question. It had lace. _Lace_. Ew...

Ashley grimaced and bit her lip. "Yeah... see, it's a nice dress and all, but I _really_ shouldn't wear it," She told them, trying to get out of it. "I would mess it up! The only reason I'm up at all is because I know there's going to be food. I'm dressed up well enough..."

"Nuh-uh!" Alice giggled. "Don't be silly, you're in jeans, flip-flops, and a long-sleeved shirt that has scorch marks in it."

"I can put on a tie..."

Tooth scoffed. "Oh, it needs to be more formal than _that_."

"_Why_...?"

Alice let Tooth hang onto the dress herself before walking over to Ashley and all _but_ dragging her closer to the dreaded thing. Ashley was pretty sure she was leaving marks in the floor, in all her attempts to stop getting nearer.

"No, I don't wanna do this!" She whimpered, shaking her head vigorously as she got ever closer. "_Noes!_ I'll-I'll whip out the whoop-ass on you guys, I swear I will!"

Alice let out a dismissing noise as she pulled the distressed girl. "No you won't..."

"_Alice_, _Toothiana_, stop tormenting the poor girl."

All but screaming with relief, Ashley quickly retreated to her favorite Slenderman and hid behind him. "Hallelujah! Slendy, I love you, you know that?"

His smooth, almost musical chuckle filled the room, and a black tentacle rubbed the top of her hair, much to Alice's distress.

"Stop messing up her hair!" The blonde woman screeched, "It's bad enough as it is, and I still need to fix it!"

Peeking out from behind Slendy, the girl snorted. "You ain't touchin' a hair on my head... It's fine the way it is, man!"

"No it's not! It could be so pretty if you'd just let me brush your hair!"

Ashley all but growled. "_Nein!_"

"Don't you speak to me in Russian!" Alice scolded playfully.

The girl grinned and stuck her tongue out. "It's _German!_"

"I don't care _what_ it is-now come here and put on this d-"

"-_Alice_."

One word from Slendy was all it took. The woman stopped right away and bowed her head, glancing back at Tooth and nodding to the door before scuttling out, with the fairy right behind her. It made Ashley wonder if it was a good idea, being so rude to her Slenderman... People really, really, _really_ respected him, it seemed... Maybe she should start, too...?

_Nah_. That's no fun...

"And I am quite glad you think so," Slendy told her gently, strolling across the room with his back to her. "The others hold me in such _high esteem_. It gets a bit grating, at times. You and Nate are the only ones who treat me normal."

"Well, as normal as anyone can treat a Slenderman..." She corrected, shrugging one shoulder before asking, "Speaking of which... why _do_ you look like Slenderman?"

He turned his featureless face to hers and raised a hairless brow. "I... I do not know of this _Slenderman_ of which you speak of, I'm afraid..."

She cocked her head to the side. "Slendy... you need to get with the times, man."

If he had eyes, he would have rolled them. But he didn't, so he just chose not to respond and pulled out a covered hanger, so that she couldn't see what it was holding, and set it on the bed she was just sprawled out on. With another tentacle, he pulled out a pair of black, shiny dress shoes and set them on the ground. "Here you are, young one. Get dressed, then make your way to to the globe room." He added when she opened her mouth to ask a question, "And yes, there will be plenty of food."

She gave a sheepish smile and his quiet chuckle filled the room, before her walked out of the room.

It appeared to her that he seemed to _glide_, more than walk... Pretty weird, but hey-he was _Slenderman_. She could manage to forgive him for being a little odd.

Walking over to the bed, resisting the urge to plop back into it, she started carefully pulling off her shirt, minding the bandages with caution. Having opened up the stitches just a day before, she wasn't terribly enthusiastic about doing it again.

Once her shirt was off, she put her back to a mirror that was hanging on a wall to double check. She hadn't felt anything, but she wanted to be sure... It would suck if she got blood all over the clothes Slendy got her...

And she didn't, _yes!_ There was a little dried blood, she noticed, that had soaked through the gauze, but it would be fine.

Ashley started to turn away, but did a double take and looked back.

_Woah_. Her arm-the left one-had really been _fucked up_. Jagged, pale, pinkish scars of various shapes and sizes splotched her arm and a good bit of her shoulder. She'd never even noticed them...

Giving a curt hum and a frown to her reflection, she quickly turned from the mirror and walked over to the bed. Was she upset about it? A little... it wasn't the most attractive thing in thing in the world, and it did nothing to help her self-esteem, but what would throwing a hissy-fit do...?

Not a damn thing, that's what. So she just pushed the uncertainty and self-consciousness down. It wasn't all that hard, really... all she had to do was remind herself that Zach was always going love her, even if she ended up looking like Freddy Kruger. _Hopefully_...

Biting back a grimace, she pulled the hanger-cover off, only to break out into a grin. _Oh_, she could _dig_ that...

* * *

_Okay_. She was dressed and ready to go, yet she was still hiding behind one of the columns. Why...? Because Ashley had this horrible feeling that if she went out into the party, someone was going to make her do a speech or something. And as loud and outgoing as she was, speaking in front of crowds by herself was... really, really nerve-racking, and it was something she'd always hated. She always ended up making herself look like a fool when doing that, too.

She looked back down at her clothes and studied them. It wasn't like she looked _bad_...

Slendy had given her clothes that reminded her of a marine's dress uniform. A form-fitting navy blue jacket with red trim, golden buttons, a standing collar, and a white web belt with a golden buckle. The coat hung over a plain, white, dress shirt. Lighter blue pants that, again, were a little more form-fitting than she usually wore... pretty much ever. She'd even put her hair up in a messy bun... Alice would've been proud of her.

Even though it was a little uncomfortable, she felt pretty damn fancy, if she did say so herself.

Ashley walked out from behind one of the massive columns, to see a rather crowded globe room, and a small stage with a podium that was empty, save for Slendy. Yetis and people crowded the floor, as well as these cute yet kinda ugly creatures that barely passed the middle of her calf. Tiny shapes flew through the air, and one of them paused right in front of Ashley's face.

_Neat_. The girl grinned and held out a finger for the small, hummingbird-like fairy. It looked awfully similar to Tooth, and she breathed a laugh as the little thing made various excited squeaks and squeals. It beamed at her before taking off into the crowd.

A shout rang out, and a smaller yeti shot out of the crowd and ran at her. "Ashley!" Fitz's puppy-like face beamed at her, and he skid to stop right in front of her, eyes bright. He started to reach out for her to hug her but stopped himself, settling with fidgeting his hands together. "I uh... prob'ly shouldn't hug you, right...? Might hurt you more or something?"

She snorted in response and wrapped her arms as best she could around the abominable snowman. "I don't care if I'm missing a leg and an arm, I am _getting_ my hugs. And why haven't you come and seen me while I was all hospitalized, you _ass?_"

Fitz snorted a laugh and hugged her back. "I would've if I could've, but North's been workin' us like dogs. Christmas is in a month and a half, remember?"

Grunting, she briefly nuzzled his chest before pulling away and looking over at the crowd of people who were watching. She grinned at them and waved before gesturing to herself. "How do I look? Pretty snazzy, yeah?"

Zach nodded and beamed before pushing his way through the crowd and wrapping his arms around her. While he did that, she noticed something very unfair...

"_Slendy!_" She complained, "How come Zach gets to wear jeans and a t-shirt, but I don't?!"

"It has a tie and stuff on it!" Zach defended.

Ashley snorted before retorting, "Yeah, but they're not _real!_" She looked over at the Slenderman, who was still alone on the stage. "What kind of custom, Slendy?!"

North came over and rolled his eyes, though smiling while he did so, and lightly pushed her towards the stage. "_You_ are guest of honor, not him. Is customary-now go on stage!" Once he said that, the crowd parted like the Red fuckin' Sea did to Moses, and... it kind of made her start internally screaming. Just a little...

_Oh yeah_... She could definitely feel the fear now, as she walked past all the people. Some familiar, and some not-so-familiar faces smiled at her. It made her feel a little better, but her stomach was still doing flips and twisting with unease.

And _then_, the little red things...? They started playing music as she got to the steps. And it just made her feel _that_ much more terrified. Swallowing thickly, she made her way to Slendy and stopped in front of him, nodding in greeting.

"Hey, Slendy," She mumbled lowly so that only he could hear. "I'm kind of fearin' for my life, here, so let's just try to make this as easy as possible."

If he had a face, he would have smiled. "We shall see..." He told her before turning her towards the crowd and holding up a single hand for silence.

Slendy straightened up and folded his hands behind his back before beginning. "Everyone, we are here today to honor the bravery of our friend, Ashley Catherine Edgewood. She has gone above the line of duty and, while it was incredibly foolish and nearly took her life, went against the Nightmare King and won-bringing balance back to the world."

Ashley bit back a sarcastic comment before studying the crowd, more or less zoning Slendy out. The Guardians and Spirits stood together, and in the way back she caught sight of Vergil.

A big grin crossed her face as Vergil waved frantically from the back of the crowd and made various goofy faces at her. Hell, she even forgot to be nervous, as she fought back laughter and started making faces back at the former spirit of courage. People were snickering and trying not to laugh at some of the faces she was making, but she didn't even notice them.

She continued to do that, until Slendy suddenly turned to her while she was in the middle of making a face, tongue out and all. Her face exploded with red as she quickly composed herself and cleared her throat, putting her hands behind her back innocently and giving a winning smile.

Slendy would've rolled his eyes if he had any, but he didn't, so he just chose to ignore the antics the girl had been in... "It is with great pride," Slendy told her gently, "That I present you with these three medals."

Ashley nodded without really listening, just going on with it, when it hit her. "Wait-what-_three?_"

Slendy nodded. "Yes."

First, he pinned on a purple and gold medal that was a rather misshapen heart. "I present to you this Purple Heart. No one has been injured more than you, in this." He told her dryly. "Out of all of them, you deserve this one the most..."

The next one was darker, with faded colors on the ribbon and an eagle surrounded by barbed wire as the medal itself. "The Prisoner of War Medal," He told her, considerably quieter so that Zach wouldn't hear. "I am sure I do not need to tell you why you deserve this..." Ashley gave a curt nod, and Slendy cleared his throat.

"And lastly, I present to you this... For your outstanding and almost _idiotic_ willingness to confront the Nightmare King against all odds, at risk of life above and beyond the call of your responsibilities. For returning to us, despite the fact that you had the desire and _every right_ to not do so... I give you the Medal of Honor."

Her heart jumped in her throat as Slendy placed the ribbon over her head and glanced down to make sure she hadn't been hallucinating when she heard him say '_Medal of Honor_.' But she hadn't been hallucinating...

A gold star hung around her neck, surrounded by an emerald-green laurel wreath held up by a gold bar with an eagle on top. Each end of the star was an oak leaf, and _VALOR_ was printed across the bar. It was hung on a light blue ribbon with-she counted-thirteen little white stars.

"Holy shit," Ashley breathed, eyes wide as she gaped at the sight. "This is... You gave me a... _Woah_."

Everyone broke out into cheers, yelling and whooping and whistling... Poor old Ash didn't know what to do, as Slendy started leading her.

And then, she realized just _where_ he was leading her. _The Podium_.

She gave a yelp that was lost in the cheers, and dug her heels in the ground. _Nononono_, this was exactly what she _didn't_ want!

But alas, it turned out that Slendy was packing some power behind his scrawny limbs, and he pushed her to the podium with ease. A voice filtered through her panicked thoughts, a familiarly calm voice...

_Calm yourself, young one... If you truly wish to leave, you may._

She blinked before narrowing her eyebrows. _Get the fuck out of my head, Slendy!_

_As you wish. But do remember that it is your choice._

The familiarity of that sentence hit her like a semi-truck, and she bit her lip as she looked out at her friends who were all cheering madly with support. Zach caught her eyes, and the boy gave her a big grin and a thumbs up from his perch on North's huge shoulder.

Okay... maybe it wouldn't hurt to say _something_... But _what?!_

Slendy cleared his throat and held up his hands for silence. Silence followed, and he looked down at Ashley, gesturing for her to go. She bit her lip before leaning on the podium.

"Uhh... hi...? I'm... well, you know who I am." _Wow_, only two sentences came out and she was already making a fool of herself. "I got these medals because... well, Slendy doesn't know when to take a joke and he never listens." Said Slenderman whipped her upside the head with a tentacle and she yelped while rubbing the back of her head. "_What?!_ We both know that it's true!" She heard snickers from several yetis, and she raised her eyebrows at Slendy, resting her chin on her hand. "Fine then... If you don't want me to speak the truth, what _do_ you want me to say?"

"Well... what _is_ courage? You are the spirit-the very embodiment of it. Care to tell us just what it is...?"

Ashley gave him a look before looking down at the podium, rubbing her hands over the aged wood. "Well... It's when people do brave stuff, and..."

She paused mid-sentence when a thought hit her. An idea. A small voice in her head that was telling her what to say. It was kind of deep (for her). It was the type of thing that she normally pushed away from her thoughts, into a locked box to keep for later when she had one of those long talks with Zach. Maybe... _maybe_ it was time she actually said what the voice told her to, instead of pushing it down and just spouting anything that came to mind...

_Meh_... It would be better than what she was _going_ to say.

Ashley gave a short laugh and ran her fingers through her hair. "I used to think that courage was like one those old war movies me and my dad used to watch. The big guy with the big guns and the even bigger arms, running through the abandoned town and killing the bad guys... I was wrong." Suddenly, it got really quiet... Like everyone was holding their breath.

"I think," she continued, "It's something a lot more... well, _more_. Sometimes, it's doing something small, like letting someone help you out. It might not seem like a big deal to someone, but for some people, it _is_. It's a very big thing, and it scares people. It scared _me_. I'd never done it before, and I... I won't lie, it was terrifying and it made me want to go hide under the biggest rock I could find... Sometimes, courage is just reminding yourself that people care. It's remembering why you're _here_. And despite what anyone-even yourself-thinks, you _are_ here for a reason. It's reminding yourself that everyone, no matter how big and scary they are, gets lonely."

"It's everywhere, and can be found in the smallest things." She bit her lip and stared at her hands, refusing to look anyone in the face. "It's your hopes. It's your dreams. Loves, friends, family... Courage is the arm that picks you back up when you've fallen down. It doesn't need to be big... sometimes all it is, is a small, gentle nudge that tells you that maybe, _just_ maybe it's okay. Maybe you won't get hurt from letting some people in your walls. That doing what you're doing is for a reason. It's... _everything_. It's hope, and curiosity, love. For dreams, and for the thought that maybe things will turn out alright, and maybe there'll be a time when you reach the end of the dark, lonely forest, and you're able to enjoy things and have fun again..."

"It's realizing that nothing's gonna get better unless _you_ make it get better." God, her heart was beating so fast and so loud, she was _sure_ everyone could hear it. Why were they so quiet...? An even better question, why did she listen to that voice in her head?! Maybe everyone would forget about it in a few years...? Whatever... She leaned back a little bit, clearing her throat. "I'm uh... I'm done."

Slendy's hand lightly touched her shoulder, and he leaned down. "That was fantastic. Thank you."

Ashley made a face. "Me thinks you're a liar. But I don't care, I'm getting some food, man, I'm starving."

So with her pride crushed, she walked over to the edge of the stage and just as she was about to jump off, a ridiculously loud voice came from behind her.

"_LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!_"

Yelping, she jerked her arm back and turned sharply, only to have her foot slide off the edge of the stage and fall back on the ground, head-first...

Laughter and music filled the air as a group of people and yetis came over to help her.

"Slendy!" Ashley called with a groan, "I need some Neosporin and another Purple Heart, STAT!"

Zach bit back a laugh and just settled with grinning at her. "You okay?"

"No, I'm dying," She grunted sarcastically, sitting up and rubbing the back of her head. Zach rolled his eyes and lightly smacked her shoulder before helping her up. Or _trying_ to, anyways.

After a few minutes of him trying to pull her up, Ashley rolled her eyes and tugged him into her lap. The young boy cried out in surprise as she wrapped her arms around him and nuzzled his cheek. The show of affection wasn't because she was getting ready to go fight a battle. Nor was it because she had seen her worst fears and seen the kid after he had committed suicide after seeing all her friends die. It was just because... well, _she could_.

She did it because she wanted to. There didn't need to be a reason. There simply wasn't a way to describe the feeling... For the first time in a while, she didn't need to worry about leaving the kid all alone, or finding another fearling tormenting her baby... It wasn't quite bliss, but it was damn close.

"I love ya, babe." She mumbled. "You know that, right? You're a little punk, but I still love you..." Kissing his temple once before dragging herself (and the boy) up from the ground. The music reverberated in her chest as she rubbed Zach's head before heading straight to the food table.

Or she _started_ to, anyways, before arms wrapped around her waist and lifted her high in the air. A deep, accented laugh rang just behind her and she grinned as she reached back, wrapping her arm around Bunnymund's furry neck... And holy crap, he was wearing clothes for the first time since she had ever seen him! It was just a plain, black suit jacket with nothing else, but still...

"Way to go, Ash," Bunnymund told her with a big smile. "Ya done went an' made this ol' pooka proud." He ruffled her hair and set her down, and then one of Slendy's tentacles pinned another Purple Heart to her chest as well as a small tube of Neosporin.

Ashley raised a brow. "Slendy... I was kidding when I asked for this stuff."

The Slenderman's featureless face turned to hers. She didn't know why, but she pictured a kicked puppy expression on his face as his skinny shoulders slumped, and he started to reach for the Neosporin and medal. She jumped back, clutching the stuff to her chest.

"That doesn't mean I don't want it!" She added quickly, "I want the Neosporin, I'm probably gonna need it sometime by the end of the day, anyways! I want it, man, I want it!"

Slendy chuckled lightly and nodded. "Very well, young one. And," he added, "I left you something in your left pocket. When you go outside, check what it is."

Ashley nodded in acknowledgement before getting tackled by Tooth, who was squealing at the top of lungs. The younger girl snorted and grabbed one of the fairy's arms. "Hey there."

"You look great!" Tooth told her cheerfully.

"Pssh, I _always_ look great."

Bunnymund barked a laugh. "Ya got that right!"

Zach grinned and started to respond, but got cut off by North's loud, roaring laugh. Jack Frost's protesting, exasperated yell came next.

"_How come everyone keeps laughing at me?!_"

Everyone looked over to see Jack stumble over past the yetis with a scowl on his face.

Needless to say, it didn't take Ashley long to understand why North was laughing... The awkward, skinny teen had been forced into a white dress shirt, a dark blue suit vest, some gray skinny jeans that _didn't_ have any tears. He must have run away when they'd tried to get him into some shoes, because he didn't have any. In all honesty, Ashley thought he looked pretty good, save for one thing...

His bow tie (at least, she _thought_ it was supposed to be a bow tie) was... it was a mess. She didn't even know how it _got_ like that, it was all over the place, and just... really made her wish she had a camera.

Ashley bit back a snicker under her hand. But no one else other than Tooth considered to do so, and they all laughed, and her hiding her amusement ended up being pointless.

Finally, at the poor teen's exasperated and indignant look, Ashley swallowed a bout of laughter and walked over to the him, putting her arm around his shoulders as she led him away. She took note of the fact that Bunny looked awfully proud of himself...

"Frost, babe," She told him with an amused grin, "You know your bow tie is like... an abomination, right?"

He raised a brow. "What-no it's not... I even asked Bunny, he told me it was right!"

She hid a bark of laughter with a fit of coughing into her shoulder. Her shoulders shook as she smiled at him. "Jack... you... I... He lied to you."

His face fell as they stopped in a quiet(ish) corner. "I'm gonna prank him _so_ hard. Do you think a random blizzard in the middle of spring would make him mad?"

She laughed. "Yeah... yeah, I think that would piss him off. Now," Ashley told him, turning him so that he was facing her, "Let me fix your tie. _If_ it's possible... seriously, Frost, how did that even _happen?_ It's ridiculous! And how could you believe Bunny when he said that was right?!"

"Hey, give me a break!" He defended as the girl started to untie some of the knots, "I was excited, and I've never needed to dress up fancy, so I didn't know!"

"Never?"

"Never." He confirmed with a huff.

"That's..." She mumbled quietly, "That's kind of stupid. Do you... do you want to find you a date or a wedding to go to or something...? So you can do stuff like this more often...?"

"No, it's okay," He muttered. "Thanks, though."

She hummed in reply, and grinned in victory as she held up the two ends of the bow tie, completely unmangled. "Got it! Alright, Frost, pay attention, right? These are actually pretty simple. I'll go slow-just keep up with the program."

She leaned down a bit, sticking her tongue out the side of her mouth in concentration, thinking to herself that he'd _better_ be watching, because she wasn't gonna show him again.

Jack _was_ watching. Just not what she wanted him to be watching. Instead of watching her make the bow tie, he was watching _her_, with his breath hitched in his throat because she was _really_ close. He could feel the heat radiating from her hands, and every time her skin brushed against his neck, his skin jumped in place. And his stomach was doing flips, too...

He figured he might be sick, but... he couldn't really be sure. He hasn't been sick since he'd been human.

Just as Ashley finished, she froze. She felt someone watching her from her side, and just before she looked over to see what or who was staring so intently, she heard something.

"Now _kiss._"

She closed her eyes and heaved a sigh, leaning back as her face exploded in red. She peeked an eye over at the expectant-looking ginger, who was donning a plain black dress shirt.. Her hand tightened into a fist.

"Why did you stop?!" Eros complained, "Get back to it! You were doing _so_ well, and I didn't even need to take any part of it! Just go right back to it, stare into each others' eyes-and then what you do is lean in all slowly and-_Agh_, my face!" He cried out, falling back onto the ground after getting punched by Ashley. "My beautiful face! This is the _money_ right here, why would you _do_ that?!"

The girl ignored his question as several yetis and the little impish creatures looked over at the rather over-dramatic man.

"I hate you." Ashley sighed matter-of-factly, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I just... _really_ loathe your existence, and hope you die in a cobra-filled pit that's on fire. Truly."

A gruff voice shouted through the yetis. "The cobras would burn, too, ya stupid bitch!"

"Go to hell, _Natas!_" She yelled back playfully.

"'Ey! Don't bring my goddamn lame-as-hell name into this! I can't help my name, yo! My _mom_ chose that shit, not me! _Fuck_ you!"

She smirked. "I'd rather not! I like guys with a little more class and a lot less diseases! I don't wanna get infected, _Natas!_"

The scrawny man finally shoved through the yetis with a scowl on his face. The only dressing up he did was putting on a gray tank-top. _What a bunch of bull_. "I don't got any fuckin' diseases, you bitch!"

Her smirk grew as the Guardians and Spirits of Humanity filtered past the yetis to watch the show as Eros still curled up on the floor, whimpering about his beautiful face. Ashley chuckled before replying to Nate. "That's not what your momma told me."

Nate's eye twitched and he spit his cigarette to the floor, stomping on it with his shoe. "I'll fucking kill you."

Alice squeaked in fear for the girl's life, but Ashley wasn't worried. She could see the small twitch up of his lips... So she crouched down a bit and grinned at the scraggly man, completely ready to wrestle. She glanced over at Zachary, who gave her a supportive smile and two thumbs up, before looking back at tattooed man.

"Bring it! Let me school you in the ways of ass-kickery!"

* * *

Ashley glanced over at Fitz, who was carrying a sleeping Zach in his arms. A fond smile broke out on her face as she watched Zach snuggle into the yeti's furry chest. Poor kid... he was all tuckered out. And to be honest, she was just about done, too. She'd been wrestling, dancing, stuffing her face, and telling funny stories for a long time, and quite frankly, she was _tired_. The party had gone on so long, it was dark out.

The girl walked over to a door that lead to a balcony and pushed it open with a grunt, walking over the the railing and resting her arms on it. Her breath billowed from her mouth, and she watched it dissipate into the air with mild fascination.

It was nice out... The moon was bright-so bright, she didn't even _really_ need to leave the door open to let light out.

A thought hit her, and she reached into her pockets only to pull out a long, somewhat thick object out. She smelled it, and broke out in a grin.

"Slendy," She laughed to herself giddily, "Slendy, I _love_ you, baby! You're amazing, man! You got me one of my things, and you just-fucking fantastic!"

Still laughing to herself, she pulled a lighter out from her back pocket and lit it up before taking a good, long puff. Shuddering with delight, she sighed contentedly.

"That's the stuff... I missed this."

"_What_'d you miss...?"

She jerked back in surprise and fright, but was pretty quick to relax. Ashley nodded once in greeting before answering his question, as the guy walked over leisurely. "My cigars... They're _kind of_ delicious, if that doesn't sound too weird."

A scowl crossed his face as he neared her, and she pulled the cigar out of his reach. "Don't you _dare_ freeze my cigar, man. I'll take you down if you do that crap to this one."

Jack huffed and leaned back against the rail. "I don't know _why_ you smoke those... They smell disgusting."

"Oh no, not one of these babies," She informed him with a grin. "They smell so good, you could almost _eat_ them. Almost. I wouldn't, because... that'd be kind of nasty."

"Well, they _are_ nasty. They smell gross, too." He countered. She raised a brow.

"Do not." She decided to take the risk, and put her cigar near his face. "Smell. It's delicious, man!"

Jack jerked his head back and turned away, face twisted with disgust. "Gross, don't put it near my _face_, that's nasty!"

"No, it isn't!" She insisted. "Just take a quick smell, it's _good_, honest it is!"

"I don't wanna smell your cigar!"

She narrowed her eyes, but stopped as an idea hit her. Pulling it back, she took a big puff and held it in before leaning over, getting as close as she could before blowing it in his face, holding the back of his head so he couldn't just step back.

_Why_ was she so determined to show him it wasn't as bad as he thought...? She didn't really know. She guessed she just didn't like him dissing her thing.

The first few milliseconds, his face was twisted with disgust. But that was before he breathed it in... His nose twitched as he inhaled through his nose, and his eyes widened in surprise as the scent of various spices and tropical fruit invaded his senses.

She hadn't been lying to him... It _did_ smell good. And it was written all over his face...

Ashley gave a cocky grin at the boy as he leaned in unconsciously. "Told you," She teased, "But no one listens to poor ol' Ash..." She leaned back and chuckled as Jack pouted.

It got quiet for a while after that. It wasn't an awkward silence, more of a companionable one. Ashley dwelled on her thoughts, and Jack on his.

The thing that was really bugging her was that stupid promise she'd made to Jack... She was conflicted as hell about it. When she'd told him she hadn't wanted to talk about it, she had _really_ meant it. It made her stomach twist and chest squeeze and was really, _really_ uncomfortable just to think about.

But, she had made a promise, and now seemed to be a good time to spill. The only person around to really hear it was Jack, and she figured that he probably-_hopefully_-wouldn't go and run his mouth about it to everyone else...

"Hey, Frost," Ashley cleared her throat. "Do you uh... want me to tell you about my nightmare thingy now, or...?"

His eyebrows shot into his hair, and he nodded vigorously. "_Yeah_, I wanna know what messed you up so bad!" He faltered. "Are you sure you want to do this _right_ now? I mean, I want to know what happened, but you might need a little time..."

"It ain't getting any better," She told him dryly. "So yes or no. This is your only shot, man."

The winter spirit nodded at her like she was a really, really stupid kid that had answered a really obvious question that everyone already knew the answer to. "_Yeah_."

The girl heaved a sigh. "Okay... let's get this over with. I'm gonna keep this short, sweet, and simple to keep it as painless as possible. It's the abridged version, yeah?" He nodded, and Ashley took a puff of the cigar before beginning. "Well... it started off with you. You were... you were messed up really bad, and... it was _my fault_. And I couldn't fix it. And it just kept getting worse... I kept finding you guys, dead or dying and it was fucking horrible. Sandy, Aleksei, Tooth, North..."

She stared at her feet like they were the most interesting thing in the world, even when a light snow began to fall.

"And then I found Zach," Her voice cracked as a lump grew in her throat, and she cleared her throat. "He... he'd killed himself. And it was me-it was my fault and-_shit_." She set her cigar on the broad railing and rubbed her face. "It was already fucking horrible that he'd died. But it was his own hand that did it, and it was because of _me_... And then you guys showed up-to mock me, I guess-and started beating me around. And you-you pulled out a knife, goin' on about how you should kill me. And I told you to do it, and pressed the knife harder into my throat..." she lightly traced the thin scar across her neck with her finger. "You'd almost done it, too... I was so close... And, _man_, was I upset when Vergil came and scared 'em off."

She dared to look over, and his face was a mixture of horror and sympathy. Straightening up and rubbing her scarred cheek, she asked defensively, "_What?!_"

Jack opened his mouth to say something, but must have changed his mind and shut it, before opening it again and holding his arms out. "Come here."

She raised a brow and stepped back a little bit. "I... I'd rather not. It's really no biggie, man, it's over. I'm okay."

"No, you're not." He corrected sternly, with exasperation lacing his voice. "Now come here."

Ashley blinked and glanced into the door. No one was looking over, so... "_What the hell_," She shrugged, heaving a sigh, "I like hugs, it won't hurt... _probably_." She took two long strides and let Jack enfold his arms around her. He wasn't very warm, but she radiated heat enough for the both of them.

It wasn't unfamiliar or anything, so she was pretty quick to just let herself melt into it. There was just something about hugs, man, that she really, _really_ liked. Maybe it was just her, but they always made her chest fill up like a balloon. It made her feel like everything was going to be okay, and like she was safe, and wanted... she could go on for hours about why she loved 'em.

And hugs from Jack were something else entirely, as she already knew. They weren't warm like she was used to, and somehow they were a bit different from other hugs... but they felt good nonetheless, in an odd sort of way.. Like when she would sit in the hottest room in the house when she was younger, only to run out into three feet of snow with nothing but shorts and a t-shirt. It was that first feeling, right when she would get outside-the relief, the giddiness... only it didn't end after a few minutes. It stayed and lingered, and it made her chest squeeze with unease because she'd almost _lost_ it. She almost lost _him_...

_Damn_, that scared her a lot more than she would have prefered it to... Now that she thought about it, Jack had seemed to have always been... _there_. Ever since she started this whole spirit thing. And she cared about him a whole lot more than she was willing to admit out loud. He wasn't quite at Zach level, but he wasn't nothing to her, either.

"Hey Jack," The girl mumbled into his shoulder. "Do me a favor...?" He hummed questioningly, and she nuzzled his neck., "Try not to scare me like you did in the Big Boss fight, alright...? Try not get hurt and stuff, because I..." She trailed off and cleared her throat when any and all words she was going to say jumped out of her head. A very vaguely familiar feeling of awkwardness and uncertainty came over her, and she began fidgeting with her hands. "Uh... Zach likes you, ya know? And if he's sad, then I'm sad. So... stop getting into trouble, you damned delinquent."

Jack snorted and started to retort, but got cut off by Ashley. Her screaming, to be more precise...

_Why_ was she screaming...? Well, that's because there was a particularly _large_ dart stuck in her arm.

"_There's an arrow stuck in my arm!_" She screeched, being just a _bit_ over dramatic. "_I'm dying!_" She'd meant it as a joke, when she had said she was dying-to lighten the mood a little. Although, it might have been a _bit_ too soon to pull a death joke, she found, as cold fear flashed in the boy's eyes. "I was just joking!" She quickly grunted in assurance, "But still... _pull it out!_"

Jack stuttered a bit before grabbing it and pulling it out, giving a meek apology at the girl's yelp.

Ashley turned over to the still-open door, murder screaming in her eyes when she caught sight of a confused and a rather disappointed Eros... _Was her punching him in the face once not enough?!_

She stalked over, and grabbed the ginger by the collar. "What's your deal, man?! Do you _want_ to be murdered brutally or _what?!_"

He hummed thoughtfully as he studied the raging girl, waggling his finger like she had done something wrong. "You, madam, are one stubborn nut to crack. Granted, my darts aren't even _close_ to being as strong as my arrows, but there are still a very small number of people who can completely and utterly ignore the effects."

The girl froze for a moment before heaving a sigh and pinching the bridge of her nose. "Eros... First of all, if you were trying to make me fall for Jack-that's _pedophilia_. I'm twenty, and he's like, what-sixteen?"

"I'm _seventeen_, thank you very much!" Jack defended, adding, "And technically, it'd be more like _three hundred_ and seventeen."

Ashley pointedly ignored that and continued. "Second, I don't _need_ the crap! It's not that important!"

Eros froze and gave her a blank look. His arms fell limply to his sides as he stared. She wasn't entirely sure, but he _may_ or may not have stopped breathing. It looked like it, anyhow. He continued to gape at her for a few _very_ uncomfortable minutes, until finally snapping out of it.

But once he did, she kinda wished that he would have stayed like that. His eyes blazed with green flames, and she was just a _little_ worried.

"Not important." He repeated emotionlessly. "Did you really just tell me that love isn't important...?"

She gave a small, barely noticeable nod. She almost wished she hadn't, and was extremely grateful that Fitz had taken Zach to bed already, because Eros... well, he lost his shit, for lack of a better word.

"How could you _say_ that?! Love is one of the most powerful things-it-you-you don't know shit!" He barked. His face turned so red that even his freckles darkened. "Look at you and Zach! It's one of the most important things out there! Now, the love I'm trying to get you in on isn't _nearly_ as pure, and there's a chance that yours won't last-But that's the beauty of it, you stupid-!" Eros stopped himself when he realized he lost his cool, but he still looked incredibly frustrated.

"I've always hated that about you," The ginger man grumbled sourly. "You've always surrounded-no, _drowned_ yourself in possible loves, yet you never took the bait! Sure, you'd go on the occasional date but you never went farther than that, and it's always pissed me off! Don't you realize how much happier you could be if you just let me hook you up with someone?!"

Ashley heaved a sigh and gave the man a look. "Have you ever considered that maybe, _just maybe_... no quiero en el amor?" Jack nudged her side and gave her a questioning look. "I don't wanna fall in love," She curtly translated before looking back at Eros. "What's the big deal, anyways? So what if I don't want to deal with love? It doesn't ever last, and that crap can mess you up-big time. Like you said, look at me and Zach, I flipped my shit when he got hurt... It's already a hell of a lot of work, I don't want to _add_ to it."

Her words didn't seem to bring much ease to the spirit of love, as he slapped his hand to his forehead. "You still don't really get it," Eros sighed. "You get _some_ of it, but not the parts that matter. Love is _complicated_. There's so many variables and factors that no one can predict what will happen in it-not even _me_. And I'm the very embodiment of it. Shit happens, alright? And that's okay. Twenty years from now, Jack could be with Tooth or Alice, and you could be with Captain Sea-Blood or Nate, or even _me!_" He huffed impatiently and slapped his hands together to accentuate his words, "_You can never know._ But that doesn't mean you should avoid it! Just because it's unpredictable doesn't mean it's a bad thing, you stubborn ass. You have to live in the moment, and enjoy what you have while you have it... You're not getting any younger-_or_ older... so if you don't kiss _someone_ by the end of the day, I swear to the gods that I will hog-tie you down and shoot you full of my arrows until either you fall in love or I run out of arrows," He told her, raising his arms in emphasis. "I don't care which!"

The girl raised a brow and crossed her arms in slight rebellion. "Kissing someone isn't gonna make me fall in love with them."

Eros heaved an exhausted sigh. "Yeah, I know... but do it, so I can at least _pretend_ I was successful with you, for a few seconds...? Or I can relieve some very much pent up stress. Your choice." He made a very convincing argument...

Hmm... get her hide shot full of arrows, or kiss someone...? Decisions, decisions. On the shooting side, she would still have her dignity, _maybe_. On the kissing side, she wouldn't get assaulted several times at once... She hummed, sticking her tongue out in thought as she idly scratched her scarred cheek for a while before coming up with a decision.

The girl heaved a sigh and gave Eros a rather annoyed look. "How long...?"

A victorious grin broke out on the ginger's face. "The longer you kiss, the less likely you are to wake up with me above you with an arrow in your face." Her shoulders slumped, and Eros's smirk grew as she glanced over at Jack. "I don't suppose you've ever been kissed...?"

The teen's face turned bright red, and yelped. "_What?!_ I... you... no, I've never been kissed before."

She gave a crooked grin at the sight of the winter spirit's blush and barked a laugh. "Cool... Do you want to? I'd prefer to know I'm kissing someone who's less experienced and more awkward than me than me." His face turned even darker, and he began to stutter. "Dude, do you have a crush on me or something? Because even _I_ wouldn't have a crush on me! I mean, _look_ at me!"

He faltered. "What's wrong with you...?"

Ashley snorted good-naturedly. "Come on... _Before_ the car crash I was like a six, _maybe_ a seven point two on a good day. And that was _before_ the car accident. Have you seen me...? Scars aren't nearly as attractive as some people make them out to be. And I'm kind of stupid... I could write a series of novels about why I wouldn't be attracted to myself." The white-haired boy gave her a look and started to say something-presumably a scolding, but she cut him off. "Look, we can discuss my personal image later. I don't wanna get shot up, so yes or no...? If it's a no, then I can do it with, I dunno, Eros or Nate or someone. Ginger didn't tell me who I had to kiss," She quickly added when Eros moved to protest, "And it's too late to change the deal!"

Jack raised his arms in protest . "No, no, no, I'll do it!"

She grinned. "Getting all enthusiastic, hmm?" His face turned dark again, and he began to protest but Ashley cut him off. "I have the feeling that the more time we waste, the more likely I am to get shot."

Eros nodded in confirmation. "That feeling is right." _Oh shit_.

Ashley quickly grabbed Jack by the collar and pulled him to her, muttering a quick apology before pressing her lips to his.

Jack's eyes widened for a second before sliding closed. He was quick to relax, especially when Ashley started running her fingers through his hair. He had noticed she had this thing about hair... she's always ran her fingers through Zachary's hair in affection, and tangled her fingers in her hair when she was upset or frustrated... and he was quite glad she did at that point, because it felt _good_. Actually, _everything_ about it felt good.

Her lips were surprisingly soft, but he could still feel the light rips in the skin from where she had chewed them. And when he cupped her face with his right hand, he could feel every velvety-soft scar. She was still just as warm as ever, and her lips almost _burned_... though, in a good way. It was just as he had imagined... not-not that he had ever imagined it.

When she pulled away, they were both equally red-faced, though Ashley looked a bit more indignant. The ginger had the _widest_ grin on his face, and Phil as well as Bunny were now standing beside Eros.

Phil raised a furry brow. "'ve no' ever seen yer face so red, lad. Should I ge' ya some ice...?" The yeti snorted and laughed at his own joke, hi-fiving himself as he turned and strolled away.

Bunny stared at Ashley, which didn't really do much to help her red face as she asked defensively, "_What?!_ I didn't wanna get shot-so sue me!"

The old pooka hummed and rocked back on his heels. "Well... I reckon ya could'a picked a bodgier one... He ain't exactly built like a brick shit house, but Jack's a good enough guy. Just don't be goin' an' havin' a pash around me, eh...?"

She raised arms exasperatedly. "I don't like him like that!" She faltered before adding, "And what does that even _mean?!_ I didn't even understand half of what you said!"

Eros gave a rather odd chuckle and grinned, but didn't say anything-_and it was really starting to creep her out_.

"What are you laughing at, you bitchy ginger?!" She asked with a scowl, "You're creepin' me out, man."

"Nothing, nothing," Eros told her calmly, "It's just... I do believe I've helped plant the seeds."

Ashley raised a brow and cocked her head to the side. "Seeds? Seeds of what? Are you losing your mind on me...?"

Eros laughed and shook his head. "Nope... well, maybe... Hanging around you isn't very good for me." Maybe she should have been insulted, but...

"I completely agree." She told him, elbowing Jack without looking at him. "Isn't that right, Frost?"

"Huh? Uh... y-yeah."

That didn't sound very Jack-like... She looked over, only to see his face still red, and a strange look on his face. Her shoulders drooped and she groaned. "Oh no... is that was they were talking about?" She looked over at said men and pointed to Jack. "Is that what you guys were talking about?"

Eros laughed and grinned along with Bunny. "I am not at liberty to say."

"So, yes, in other words," She concluded dryly before looking over at Jack. "Look... I think you're fuckin' fantastic. And you were a year or two older, I would probably like you, but... it's illegal, and you can find _way_ better." A look of hurt crossed his face, and she flinched as her heart cracked. "Oh _no_, please don't do that. You're really killing me here, babe..." He averted his eyes to his feet and she grimaced. "See, right there, that's why I suck. Talking and emotions aren't my forte. I'm-I'm gonna go... take a nap with Zach, I think."

She walked away, albeit a bit awkwardly, feeling pretty damn crummy about herself as she did.

Once she got out of sight, Eros leaned closed and nudged his side.

"Hey... Don't worry, bud. She's a stubborn ass, and she's especially emotionally retarded when other people are around. You go on up and follow her, me and Bunnymund will try to keep anyone from bugging you guys. You have to remember that she's stubborn, so you have to be, too. Or, maybe not," The ginger man shrugged, "She's got quite the soft side for you, so I wouldn't be surprised if it were to not take much for you to get her wrapped around your finger."

Jack gave the man a doubtful look. "I... I don't know if your right, Eros. She really doesn't seem to be that into me."

The taller man snorted and threw his arm over the winter spirit's shoulder. "Kid, I don't know everything about Ash, but I know that she likes you. It's just... buried down under. It's like a burnt out coal... If you want to start up the fire, you've got to breathe some air into it, and give it something to catch on to."

The teen still looked pretty uncertain, but he looked a _bit _more confident. "I guess I haven't got anything else to lose," He sighed. "Might as well try."

Bunnymund beamed as he clapped Jack on the back. "Tha's the spirit! Hop to it, Jackie-boy!"

The teen grunted in acknowledgement before walking after her.

When Jack was out of sight, Bunnymund leaned over to Eros. His furry brows were narrowed just an inch as he inquired, "Now... _what_ was that ya were talkin' about, how ya could end up with my sheila...?"

Eros's eyes widened and he swallowed thickly before laughing nervously, "_What?_ What are you talking about Bunny, I-I never!"

"Tha's what I thought." He rumbled, standing up straighter and crossing his arms. "Bloody figjam..."

The ginger man blinked and opened his mouth, only to shut it and open it again. "I... I'm a what now?"

* * *

Ashley kneeled down by the bed and lightly brushed some hair from Zach's face. The boy muttered something in his sleep about frogs, causing the girl to snort and give a fond smile. She glanced over at his legs, with had presumably kicked the blankets away. His right leg (or would it be half a leg?) was still covered with bandages, but she could see the faintest edges of stitches and scabbing. It made her wince, and then raise a brow as a question formed in her head.

If Zach was still healing, why wasn't she...?

Actually, now that she thought about it, it had only taken some days for her back to (mostly) heal. Jack, too. Was that a spirit thing...? She'd have to remember to ask Slendy about it...

_Pssh_, who was she kidding... She couldn't even remember her own birthday most of the time, how was she going to remember all of the questions she had for him? She wasn't. She had wanted to ask pretty much everyone a question, but she hadn't remembered. _Fuck_. She needed to go to that one website, luminosity or whatever, because she forgot things more than her grandma had. Sheesh...

Ashley shook her head, clearing any thoughts from it, before shooting up when one of the floorboards creaked. She turned, fists raised, only to drop them and then groan under her breath. _Jack fuckin' Frost._

She looked up at the ceiling and raised her arms. "Can't I ever get a break from him?" She asked quietly, "Did I really do so much bad that you're punishing me this much is okay? Or do you just like to watch me squirm? Because that would be really kinky..."

Well... maybe if she was lucky, they could just continue to be how it used to be...?

Pssh, who was she kidding... She was the unluckiest person in the world.

Jack raised a brow. "Who are you talking to...?"

She shushed him. "I'm communing with Jesus."

He snorted. "You still believe after all that's happened?"

"Yup," She hummed, "I mean, after all, people believe in _you_. Why can't I believe in Jesus? Didn't you...?"

He shrugged. "Back when I was human... I forgot about all that when I became Jack Frost, and when I remembered, I realized that for three hundred years I asked for someone, _anyone_ to notice me, and no one did. I just put two and two together. It's not real."

The girl winced. "Yeah... I can see why you would think that," She muttered. "Hey... how _did_ you become Jack Frost?"

His lips tugged down, and he leaned back against the wall. "I went ice skating with my sister. She got to a thin patch, and the ice cracked beneath her..." Ashley's face fell. "I calmed her down enough to get her to move some... I told her we were just playing Hopscotch, like we did everyday." _Oh no, bro_, she had a sinking feeling that she knew where this was headed, "I picked up a stick and pulled her away, near the edge of the lake... but I ended up where she was, in doing that."

Ashley bit her lip as she pleaded inside her head for herself to not be right.

"For a minute," Jack breathed, "I thought I had saved her, and that everything would be okay."

_Please don't say what I think you're gonna say_.

"Then the ice broke from underneath me."

She covered her face and bit back a yell.

Jack raised a brow at the distressed girl, but continued. "The Man in the Moon saw that I had lost my life, saving my sister, so he brought me back... and when the time was right, he made me a guardian."

"Nope. Nope, not doing this," She stood up and made several hand gestures before walking over and hugging him. "You're too precious for this world," She told him quietly, nuzzling the side of his head as he tensed up. "Do you hear that...? It's the sound of my heart-guts imploding. Are you _trying_ to kill me? You _are_. Stop."

He gave a breathy laugh and wrapped his arms around her. "Sorry." She grumbled a few obscenities under her breath, but let it slide. It got quiet, and that gave Jack the opportunity to ask, "Does this feel wrong...?"

Ashley gave him a confused look. "What'chu talkin' about, crazy person?"

His gestured to the two of them. "_This_."

_Oh._ "Man, don't tell me you're still on this," She groaned, "I really, really, _really_ hate putting you down. I don't _want_ to, but it's-"

"Okay, okay, let's suppose you're right," Jack interrupted with a roll of his eyes, "And this _is_ paedo... pedo..."

"Pedophilia."

He nodded. "Right, that. So it's wrong. You're head is saying you shouldn't be doing this. But does it _feel_ wrong?"

She gave him a look. "I thought you already clarified that it did."

"Not up here," He told her as he lightly tapped the side of her head. He tapped her chest, above her heart. "I mean right here. Does it feel wrong?"

_God_, he was being as stubborn as _her_. She lolled her head to the side, heaving a sigh. "Not particularly."

She could see his eyes light up, despite the fact that it was rather dim in the room, as he beamed. "Yeah, see? And even if we don't add the _three hundred years_ I have on you, it's only three years. We can do this... We've just gotta try. We're pretty different, but we could work," He encouraged, "Like..."

"Peanut butter and jelly?" She offered.

Jack chuckled and nodded. "Yeah. Salt and pepper."

"Yin and yang."

"Fire and ice."

She pursed her lips in thought before grinning, and singing lowly under her breath. "_I'm hot and you're cold, you're yes and I'm no~!_"

He laughed and beamed. "Exactly. So...? Do you wanna try...?"

Why did he have to look so adorable...? Why was she such a _sucker._..? "I _guess_..." She sighed. "You're still a delinquent, though, so don't think I'm gonna stop insulting you, Frost."

Said winter spirit grinned. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

She blinked and chewed on her lip. "And, uh... You really _could_ find someone way better than me, you know..."

"I don't want someone better," He told her, "I want _you_."

A smirk crossed her face, and she chortled to herself quietly. "You really make it too easy," She informed him, "I could have made like, ten different sex jokes right then."

Jack rolled his eyes like he was getting _real_ tired of her shit, but his smile gave him away. "You have issues."

"I really do." She agreed with a laugh. "And for some reason, you have a crush on me!"

"Hey, you have a crush on _me_, too." He countered easily.

"Well, yeah, but you're not me," She retorted, only to falter. "Did you just get me...?"

"To admit you have a crush on me?" He smirked. "Yes."

Ashley blinked several times before huffing and crossing his arms. "I hate you..."

"No you don't," He sang with a laugh, "You _love_ me."

She lightly punched his shoulder. "_Shut up._"

* * *

**Author's Note~**

**Been a while, eh? Yup... Sorry about that. It seems like the universe has _really_ not wanted me to write this. Everytime I get on to write, my pop's girlfriend comes out of nowhere, and she doesn't like me being on the computer for some reason... I don't know why. So I made this one as long as I could to make up for it. I even threw in some romance, even though I'm not very good at it. I TRIED, yo!  
**

**DUDE. DUDE. THERE IS 300 SOMETHING REVIEWS WHAT WHY. How is this even-why is this even dfsghfafhgjkfjkgdf! And I'm not gonna lie, I never even noticed until some one I was talking to pointed it out. When I first found out, I was all *PTERODACTYL SCREECH*. It was ridonkulous. I almost died from shock! I was just sitting there all, "WHY." ILU GUIZ, NO JOKE.**

**So. This is long. If there's anything wrong, let me know, and as always, I hope my goofy little tale made you smile :) No, really, I hope it did... I feel like the quality of this has been going down some :\ Maybe someday I'll go back and add some stuff-not just in this chapter, but all of them. Not today, though. Today, I just wanna goof off in tumblr. But the next one is probably just gonna be a lot of Ashley goofing off and playing with Zach. BEAR RIDES AND SNOWBALL FIGHTS HOMIES  
**

**Also, uh... There's some people I haven't been replying to. FORGIVE ME OTL I've been so hell-bent on getting this done, I just kinda threw it to the side. Right after this, I SWEAR I'm gonna go reply. I didn't forget about you or anything, I still love all of you D: WAIT FOR ME BBIES**

******ʕ´ᴥ`ʔ Just try to bear with me, guys!**

**,_Blue_**


	20. Chapter 20

Ashley turned over in the bed, only to fall out and land on the floor with a loud '_thunk!_' She grunted and moved to get up, only to stop halfway and drop back to the floor. _Fuck it_.

She reached up and drowsily began to pull the blanket on top of her. She didn't really expect Zach to land on top of her with a yelp.

And since she didn't expect that, she _definitely_ didn't expect Jack to tumble over the side and onto her, right after little Z.

With a grunt and a wheeze, she pushed them off before grabbing them both and pulling them closer. She kind of wanted to ask why Jack had been in the bed, but... She didn't really care, to be honest. She just wanted to sleep...

But of course, no one ever lets her get off easy. The two squirmed out of her arms and sat on her. Jack sat on her back, and Zach sat on her legs.

She told them to get off of her, but her face was in the blanket and it came out more like, "Gerroff'ame."

"Gerroff died." Zach replied, having heard it all before and knowing _just_ what to say to make her agitated. The boy laughed when she grunted into the blanket, and lightly patted her leg. "Come on, you got us up, it's only fair we make _you_ get up. We can go raid the kitchen..."

Her head shot up, and she looked past Frost's skinny frame to stare and Zach drowsily. "They... have a kitchen here...?" When the boy laughed and nodded, she rubbed her eyes and stifled a yawn. "Okay, okay, I'm up..." She sat up, barely glancing over as the two boys slid onto the floor.

Ashley staggered up and cracked her neck before looking around. Her medals were safely resting on the bedside table, and it hit her that it was really lucky she missed that because that would have _hurt_.

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she took a step only to realize that she _really_ didn't feel like walking, and plopped back down onto the floor. "Zach," She mumbled. "I don't wanna walk... Carry me...?"

Said boy laughed and lightly kicked her. "I don't think I can... I could _drag_ you, if you want."

She nodded and held up her arms for him to grab. "Sure..." But before the kid could get to her, a certain Jack Frost lifted her up into his arms.

"I got her," Jack told him, "Don't worry about it. Just lead the way, bud."

Ashley gave him a look and raised a brow. "Aren't I heavy...?"

Jack snorted and grinned. "As a bear, yeah... But you've lost a lot of weight, so it's no problem."

The girl shrugged one shoulder and leaned her head against him, using his shoulder as a pillow. Jack glanced over at Zach to make sure he wasn't looking before lightly brushing his lips against hers, blushing a bit as he shot her a winning smile.

"Ugh, morning breath," She groaned tiredly, turning her head away. She'd meant it as a joke, but when she saw his face fall a bit, she reached up and ruffled his hair. "I was just playin', Frost," She assured him gently. "If it was really bad enough for me to point it out, I wouldn't have just turned away... I would have jumped out of your arms and run away screaming."

He grunted in confirmation, but dropped her nonetheless. _What an ass-hole move..._ It struck her that he was acting a bit like a moody teenager, and she suddenly remembered that, _oh yeah_, he was one.

Despite the fact that he had a somewhat decent excuse, she couldn't allow him to get out of it so easy... So she sweeped his legs out from under him and barked a laugh when he landed roughly and particularly loudly onto the floor. Jack had a completely and utterly _shocked_ look on his face, and something about it just _cracked her up_.

"Karma's a bitch, isn't it?" She laughed, only to yelp loudly when the boy tackled her.

She never would have guessed such a skinny guy could be so damn _solid_. It was like getting a backpack full of rocks thrown into her chest, and made the air in her chest whoosh out.

"Oh, so that's how you're gonna be, huh?" She asked dryly, "Well, that's _fine_ by me." She flipped the both of them over with a grunt, pulling him into a headlock before a small wooden truck whooshed past her and right into Jack's head.

The winter spirit yelped, reaching towards his struck head. "_What the-?!_"

Zach's hunched his shoulders in guilt. "_Sorry!_" He squeaked, "I was aiming for Ashley, not you!" Said girl pointed and laughed at Jack, only to stop when the full meaning of words hit her.

"Hey!" She barked, trying to look mad but failing, "I'm right here, you know... I heard all of that!"

She could imagine the troll face meme as the young boy grinned at her. "You were supposed to!~"

Ashley harrumphed and stood up abruptly. "You're goin' down. And once you're down, I'm stomping you in the trachea."

Zach smirked. "Gotta catch me first!" He taunted before running away. He wasn't _nearly_ as fast of a runner as he used to be, especially with the limp... but you know what...? She'd always just let him _believe_ she couldn't keep up anyways, so it wasn't much of a difference.

"I'm gonna get yo-holy crap!" She yelped as she slipped on some _conveniently placed ice_ on the floor. Zach looked back and started to laugh, only to slip as well. It was all fine and dandy... fun, even, until she noticed the quickly upcoming wooden door. Ashley started propelling herself forwards and shrinking her form to catch up to him on the ice and grabbed him, turning around to protect him from slamming into the door.

It was just in time, too, because what felt like milliseconds later she slammed into the door, taking note of a certain Jack Frost's wince.

"Whoops...?" The teen offered meekly.

She rolled her eyes and grunted, face twisting into a grimace after sitting up. "Ow... crap, am I bleeding...?" Reaching behind and lightly brushing her fingers over her throbbing back, she pulled it away and groaned at the dark red that stained her fingers. "Shi-I-I mean, _poop._" It wasn't really a lot, but still... blood is blood. She'd prefer to keep it _in_ her body, thank you very much.

Zach gave her a guilty look. "Sorry..."

Snorting, she raised a brow. "What for, Lil' Z? You didn't do this, this was me and my idiocy. I could have rolled off the ice, but that didn't occur to me until just now. It's my fault, so don't even _think_ about feeling bad about it." Then, a bit quieter and gentler, she added, "I'd rather have me hurt than you, any day of the week, whether it was my fault or yours... which it wasn't. Again, all me."

Jack lightly landed in front of her, sending a burst of air into Zach and her's faces as he did so. "Actually, it was me. My bad...?" He shittily apologized, holding his hands out to help them up.

Ashley _started_ to tell him it was fine, but her legs slid out from under her just as she stood up, forcing her into the splits.

For a few brief seconds, she was silent. Her eye twitched once before she fell over onto her side and screamed. It was a raw, pain-filled scream that made everyone around her wince. The working yetis around her turned to look at her bewilderedly.

Jack and Zach panicked a few moments, turning left and right, unsure of what to do or where to go as the girl groaned on the floor.

"_Ooh_, my limbs shouldn't bend that way," She wheezed as the two boys kneeled down concernedly, "Oh _man_, I'm not flexible! I really need to work on that..."

Jack lightly brushed some hair from her face, trying not to look guilty as he meekly asked, "Are you okay...?"

"Nope," She grunted, gritting her teeth together, "I'm _dying_... God, it freakin' hurts..." Zach rolled his eyes to the ceiling and stood up.

"Yeah, she's okay..."

The girl huffed. "Thanks for the concern..."

Jack furrowed his eyebrows together and looked from Ashley to Zach. "I... How can you tell?"

"Oh, that's easy," The younger boy lightly rapped her in the head before continuing. "When she tries to make it seem like it's nothing, she's messed up bad and when she complains a bunch, you know she's okay. It's... reverse... reverse psych-psycho..." His eyebrows drew together as he tried to pronounce the word right. "Psychololigy."

"_Psychology_... almost had it,," Ashley corrected with a groan under her breath, '_Damn, _I've gotta start stretching, man, this is ridiculously painful." She dragged herself up with some help from Zach, and winced as pain shot up her legs.

"Close enough," The boy dismissed, as he leaned against her shaky frame to help support her. "You sure you're okay...?"

She faltered with surprise and glanced down at the boy, whose eyebrows were drawn together in concern. Leaning down and kissing the top of his head, she gave a weak grin. "It feels like my legs are rubber bands that were stretched too much, but I've been worse, kiddo. I'll live... _probably._"

He smiled back at her and lightly elbowed her side. "Stop embarrassing me in front of Jack..."

The girl smirked as she glanced over at said teen. "Stop embarrassing you, eh...?" She grabbed Zach's face. "Hey, Frost! Check this out!" She then stuck her tongue out and proceeded to lick his face.

His face twisted with disgust, and he shoved her away as she laughed and slid back, holding her stomach as she tried to speak. "You should have seen your face!" She gasped between laughs, "_God_, I wish I had a camera to catch that!"

Jack snorted and grinned from besides her. "You're disgusting..."

She pointedly ignored the comment, still laughing at Zach who was furiously wiping his face. "Dude, gross! Now I have Ashley germs! I'm infected!"

"Pssh," She snorted, "I gave you _awesome_ germs. And if you really wanna get infected with something, go have _Nate_ lick you. You'll be infected in no time..."

Jack rolled his eyes and placed a small kiss on her cheek. "I'm gonna go before this gets any weirder... _Try_ to stay out of trouble...?"

"Of course... _not_. Being in trouble is too much fun!" She shot back, laughing when he smacked her upside the head and lightly pushing him. "Yeah, yeah, I was just kidding... Get outta here before I _kick_ you out."

Despite wanting to, he didn't retort. Instead, he shot her one last playfully warning look before being lifted into the air rather haphazardly and shooting off.

Looking back at Zach, only to double take at the odd look the boy gave her. His eyes were narrowed suspiciously, and if intense staring could set someone on fire then she'd be rolling on the ground, screaming at the top of her lungs.

"Dude..." Zach said slowly, "Are you two... going out, or something? Jack's been acting kinda... _different_ to you, today." At seeing her freeze and blush lightly, his eyes widened. "_Shut_ the front door! _Are_ you?!"

She rubbed the back of her neck and shrugged one shoulder. "I dunno... yes, no, maybe...? We didn't really confirm anything..." The boy's jaw dropped, and her face warmed up even more as she threw up her arms in defense, "_He_ was the one who wanted it! _He_ pushed for it, with his sad back story and his puppy eyes and-and the peanut butter and jelly!"

The boy blinked and cocked his head to the side. "I... what...?" He started to question what she meant by that, but stopped himself and shook his head. He knew better than to ask... But still, the question rang clear in his mind-"Why didn't you tell me?!"

Ashley dared to look from her feet to Zach, expecting to see anger... but that wasn't the case. Instead, she saw a whole lot of _hurt_ swimming in his eyes. Betrayal, even... And, well... that wasn't sitting well with her. She walked-or rather, _limped_ over and wrapped her arm around his shoulder. "Hey, c'mon now, babe," She murmured, "Don't be thinking that I was trying to _hide_ it from you or anything..." She ran her fingers through his hair once before scooping him up in her arms and nuzzling the top of his head. "This _just_ happened, honest to God."

The boy gave a curt grunt, and that _would_ have worried her a bit... if he hadn't have leaned into her nuzzle while he made the noise. "Okay..." He sighed, "You'll... you won't ever lie to me, right? Because... I-I never lie to you."

"I know you don't," She assured softly, "I... I hate lying to you-you _know_ that, but... Sometimes, Zach, sometimes there are things that you'd be better off not knowing. There are _some_ things I'm not gonna tell you about." She quickly added when he opened his mouth to protest, "I've had a lot of things going on, baby, and... there's just some stuff that-that I don't even like to think about. It's not that I don't _want_ to tell you, it's the fact that it _hurts_ to talk about," She exhaled shakily and rested her forehead against his, "And I know it's gonna hurt _you,_ too."

When he didn't reply, she kissed his nose. "I love you more than anything... you know that. I'll never do anything to hurt you, even if that means I have to keep a few things to myself. When I do things, it's because I think I'm doing what's _right_ for ya..."

He didn't look very enthusiastic, but Zach finally nodded and wrapped his arms around his neck. It hadn't been exactly what he'd wanted to hear, but he was glad she told him the truth. And he _knew_ she was... He didn't know when she lied, but he knew when she wanted to but didn't. Her eyes got this weird, solemn, almost _scared_ look to them when she was telling the truth when she really would rather say a lie."Alright... I... I love you, too." He started to say something else, but his stomach growled. And moments after, Ashley's stomach snarled viciously in response. The boy gave a sheepish grin and rubbed the back of his neck. "Can we go eat, now?"

She grinned as relief pooled in her eyes. "Kid, I thought you'd never ask... Let's go eat! I'll find us some grub!"

* * *

"That... is a huge, mo-foing yeti." Ashley finally uttered as she overcame her shock.

They had just walked into the kitchen when they noticed a _giant_ yeti hunched over an oven. He was the biggest damn yeti she had yet to see-bigger than North, she was pretty sure he was even taller than Aleksei! Pure white fur all over, a pink nose, and blue eyes, yet a grumpy, sour look was on his face as he scolded several of the weird little elf things, holding a tray of cookies above his head.

"These ain't fer ya, ya rotten li'l bastards! Be gone with ya! Go on, _git!_ Go do somefink wif yerselves, eh?" He growled. "I swear, I'll kill ev'ry one a ya if'n ya don't scat!"

Zach leaned closer and nudged her, knowing she was the only one who could understand the yetis, "What's he saying?" The boy whispered in fear of angering the yeti, "Should we just go...?"

"I dunno," She whispered back, "He's cursing out the little things. I guess they want his cookies..." She cleared her throat, bringing the yeti's attention to her despite Zach clearly wanting the _opposite_ of that.

The yeti raised a furry brow. "Wot do ya want? Another scrounger huntin' fer more food, like that pale lad with the stick?"

"Erm, no... well, yeah, sort of..." She shrugged as Zach hid behind her. "I was actually coming to cook some stuff for me and my boy here," She gestured to Zach, who was peeking from behind her arm. "We're hungry. I was thinking of making some..." She trailed off. She hadn't even thought of what she was gonna make... "I dunno yet. Bacon pancakes, maybe?"

The yeti cocked his head to the side, asking in his strong cockney accent, "Wot now?" He shifted the tray to his other hand before continuing, "I've 'eard of eatin' bacon with pancakes, but... together? 'Ow in the hell do ya do tha'?"

A grin crossed her face, and Zach rolled his eyes as he slapped his palm to his forehead. _He knew that look_. "Please don't do what I think you're gonna do..." She opened her mouth to sing, but Zach slapped his hands over her mouth. "I like them, but if you sing the bacon pancake song _one_ more time, I swear I will beat you with a cane..."

She raised her arms in challenge, shouting '_bring it!_'. But since she had her mouth covered, all that came out was a muffled, garbled mess. Zach laughed and raised a hand to his ear.

"What? I'm sorry, I can't understand yo-_ow!i_" He quickly pulled his hand to his chest as he gave her a bewildered look. "You bit me!"

Ashley hummed thoughtfully and nodded. "Yes. Yes I did..."

His eyes narrowed a fraction of an inch, and he stayed silent for a few moments before letting out a battle cry and jumping on her back.

She yelped and staggered to the side, chuckling as she tried to reach back at the boy who was pretending to punch her silly, only to get scolded by the very large, intimidating yeti.

"_Oy!_ No fightin' in my kitchen, damnit!" He roared impatiently, "I got e'nuff ta worry about without ya two scrappin' in 'ere!"

Zach flinched, but Ashley barely even cast a glance at the angered giant. "Sure, sure," She sighed, "My bad... I'm Ashley."

"Vert." He grunted in response as he glared distractedly at the elves scrambling around his feet. "An' I swear I'm gonna send ev'ry last one a ya li'l bastards to hell if ya don't stop tryin' fer my damn cookies!"

The girl raised a brow but nodded to herself. She knew what to do. "Oh hey, speaking of cookies," She jumped up suddenly like she had just remembered something important, "I left a _ton_ of cookies in my room." And once that came out of her mouth, _every single elf_ turned and stared at her...

It was actually pretty damn terrifying.

And after a few tense moments of staring, they took off, screeching and squealing. Once they were all gone, she visibly shuddered. "I don't know if those things are adorable or _terrifying_. They're like... the _gremlins_ or something."

The giant yeti-Vert, gaped at her. "Ya... ya made them leave... you made 'em leave, _just like that_." He blinked. "Did'ja... did'ja do that fer _me_...?" When she nodded, he picked her up and crushed her to his chest in a hug. "_Bless_ ya, lass. Ya said ya two were hungry? I'll make ya a bloody _feast_."

She glanced over at Zach and gave him a thumbs up as she wheezed, "Told you I'd get us some food..." She winced as his arms tightened, and she pat his chest. "Yeah," She coughed, "I love you too and all, but... you're kind of killing me here, man."

Vert's eyes shot open, and he dropped her. "Whoops... sorry, girlie, I didn' mean it..."

Gasping for sweet, sweet oxygen, she nodded as she put her hands on her knees. "Yeah... it's all good... Ribs are for squares," She waved a hand dismissively as she tried to laugh, but ended up coughing, "Who needs 'em? _Agh..._"

The huge yeti coughed awkwardly as he fidgeted with his hands. "Erm... Would ya like fer me ta get ya some ice...?"

She nodded to the floor and raised a finger. "That would be lovely..."

* * *

Vert snorted and rolled his eyes as Ashley put _another_ scoop of chocolate pudding in her bowl. "How in the bloody hell are ya still eatin'?" She shrugged without turning her attention from the bowl, and the yeti raised a furry brow. "Where does it all _go?!_"

"I dunno." She mumbled through a mouthful of cookie, "Maybe there's a black hole in my stomach?" The yeti scoffed, and she laughed into her spoon. Zach rolled his eyes at the chortling girl.

"You're gonna choke..."

She rolled her eyes and grinned. "No I'm not! Choking is for squa-" She suddenly got a coughing fit as she inhaled pudding through the wrong tube. Tears welled in her eyes as she coughed and choked, reaching for her throat instinctively. _Karma..._

As she dropped out of her chair, coughing and gagging and choking, Zach rolled his eyes to the ceiling. "See...? I told you... I guess this means you're a square..."

"I'm not a square!" She choked out between coughs, "I'm a mother-fucking oval! And I'm dying..."

Zach shared a look with Vert as he lightly tapped her back with his foot. "Breathe, Ashley, breathe..."

"It's hard!" She wheezed. "I think I need the Heimlich!"

"No you don't," The boy sighed exasperatedly, "You can still talk... This happens every other week, you should know what to do by now... As long as you're coughing, you're breathing."

"I can feel the love radiating from you," She muttered weakly into her hands. "Aren't I fortunate to have such a loving, caring brother...?"

"Yup!" He giggled. "Because only I would put up with you!"

She groaned and glared at the window, only to freeze... There was a boy out there... A pale boy with silver hair, and maybe it was the light, but it almost looked like he was faintly _glowing_.

Feeling the muscles in her back tense and hearing her sudden silence, Zach peeked down at her. "Hey Ash, are you okay...?"

She glanced up at Zach before looking back to the boy out the window. _He was gone..._ "I... Did you see that...?"

His eyebrows furrowed together. "See what...?"

"That boy. The one looking through the window..."

Vert's voice floated from the other side of the table. "I do believe ya had e'nuff ta eat there, Ash..."

She jerked up. "No, no, no, wait! Wait just a second! I'm not even half-way full!"

"No... I fink you've gone _way_ over yer limit, there. Take it easy, ye'h?"

"I will _not_ take it easy!" She barked as she staggered to her feet, "You're taking away my sustenance, here! I need food, I'm a growing girl!"

The yeti scoffed. "_Growing girl_, she says... Yer about as grown up as yer gonna get. Ya 'ad e'nuff... Hand me yer bowl."

Instead of retorting or protesting, she quickly grabbed her bowl, stuffed some cookies into her bowl and mouth and took off, screaming at the top of her lungs. "You'll never take me alive! Liberty or death!" She heard Vert protest loudly and run after her as she cackled to herself. She sprinted through the halls, ducking under passing yetis and leaping over toy cars that raced by. She got a few odd looks, but... she was running so fast, she didn't have the time nor the desire to dwell on it.

Seeing a good spot, she leaped up and used a yeti to propel herself into the direction of the nearby balcony, shooting a quick '_sorry!_' to the yeti before slipping through the narrowly opened doors.

Her breath billowed out of her mouth as she panted in the cold, a crooked grin on her face as she laughed. Damn, that was _fun!_

And so she stood there, laughing at her own brilliance, when she noticed something. Or rather... some_one_. Standing out on the balcony, staring. At her... And she had never seen him before, so she wasn't sure if she should have been _worried_ or introducing herself or _what_...

He wasn't saying anything... just, kinda staring at her, with a curious expression on his face. So she decided, hell, she would, too.

He was a thin, wiry-looking guy, whose pale skin that glowed. He had the brightest, most vibrant green eyes she had ever seen, with a calm, friendly, almost child-like look to them. His hair was silvery-messy, with a few random long strands that curled at the ends... It looked a bit odd, but it kinda fit him. His clothes were... uh... They were like nothing she had ever seen before, that was for sure. Black, and they kind of reminded her of some space-age armor or something, with all these complex swirls and little designs. It was pretty fucking cool, actually. He had a spear tipped with some kind of crystal or diamond.

These spirits really seemed to like spears and staffs and such...

Ashley blinked and cocked her head to the side. The boy mimicked her, which made her smile. He smiled back, and she chuckled. Oh yeah... if he was a threat, he would have tried to pull something. And to be completely honest with herself, something about the guy made her automatically like him.

"You want a cookie...?" She offered, holding out the sugary confection with an easy grin. He took it, and flashed her another small smile before taking a small bite. She studied him curiously, as he did her. She shifted her feet a bit awkwardly. "I'm, uh... I'm Ashley."

He nodded, a familiar look in his eyes. Almost like he... already knew. And he didn't say anything, either...

She swallowed a bite of pudding before asking dryly, "So... do you wanna tell me _your_ name, or am I just gonna have to start calling you Glowy?"

The boy opened his mouth before shutting it and nodding.

Raising a brow, she cocked her head to the side. "What, are you mute or something...?" When he raised his hand and gave the 'sort of' hand motion, her face fell and the sarcasm melted from her voice as her shoulders slumped. "Oh wow... look at me, making friends _all_ over with my lack of sensitivity. I'm an ass, I'm sorry..."

He gave a silent laugh and smiled as he patted her shoulder, silently telling her (she hoped) that it was okay. As he took another bite, her curiosity got the better of her.

"So, Glowy... Should I know you, or... Like, are you a Guardian?" He pursed his lips in thought before shrugging, and the girl snorted. "Yeah, you're helpful... _Thanks_, man." Glowy gave a sheepish smile and shrugged one shoulder.

She glanced up at the sky. Despite the fact that it was around the middle of the day, the moon was out. Jack had mentioned something about a man in the moon... Maybe the kid knew something about it...

"Hey, is there really a man in the moon, or is that just an expression?" He nodded, and her eyebrows shot into her hairline. "I-wait-what-really?" He nodded again, and she looked between the boy and the moon. "Can he... can he like, hear us? Right now?" An amused grin come on his face as he nodded once more. _Woah..._

She blinked several times before looking up at the moon and biting her lip. "You... you're kind of an ass." Glowy's eyes widened, and he choked on his breath. She raised her arms defensively as she alternated between looking at the boy and the moon. "It's true! I mean, yeah, he was the one who got North to help me (I _think_) but he's been freaking horrible to Jack! _Three. Hundred. Years_. All alone. What kind of dad is that?!"

Glowy gaped at her and made several hand motions for a while before heaving a breath giving her an exasperated, if a bit amused look. There were so many emotions in his vibrant green eyes, but one look stood out above them all. This guy had _so many tales to tell_. But he couldn't. Or maybe he just _wouldn't_. She couldn't be sure. Maybe he was the kind of guy who didn't tell stories-rather, the kind that went out with people and _made_ them.

Blegh... Pitch must have knocked some eloquence into her when he stabbed her in the back or something. Shaking her head vigorously to clear her head, she looked up, only to have her shoulders slump as an unamused look came over her face.

Aaand he was gone. _Of course..._

"Do you freaking people have something against saying '_bye_', or what?!" She harrumphed, only to stagger forward as a large weight suddenly slammed into her. Yelping as she grabbed the railing to steady herself, she turned her head, completely ready to beat some ass, only to stop. _Fucking Zach_, man... "You're gonna end up killing me one of these days, boy, I _swear_ it!"

Zach laughed as he wrapped his arms around her neck. "I'm sorry," he grinned, "Except... not really." He nuzzled her arm as she set the bowl down. "Santa said that I have to go back home tomorrow morning... Mom and dad are freaking out..." His eyes met her and a big, goofy grin crossed his face, "So can I get that bear ride now...?"

Ashley hummed as she idly scratched her neck, glancing over at the spot Glowy once was before turning her full attention to Zach. "We might break some stuff, you know..."

"That just makes it all the more fun!"

She laughed and held out her fist, which he tapped with his. "I am _so_ proud of you, babe. I've raised you well!"

He smiled back. "Yeah... you really did."

* * *

Zach hollered and cheered at the top of his lungs from atop the charging polar bear. The bear _tried_ not to run into things and all, but... accidents happened. Some yetis _may_ or _may not_ have ended up screaming at the duo as they raced by, knocking down an already disgruntled yeti that had a _lot_ of toy trains that were on the floor because of Ashley. Just a whole lot of chaos all around.

She ran and clambered and slid until she got to a window closer to the ground and promptly leapt out, Zach's hands tangled in her fur as he laughed.

The white, powdery snow flew up into the air she tramped through it, running through particularly large mounds of snow and sliding down hills, a particularly light and bubbly filling her chest as she did so. It wasn't until Zach slipped off her back did she finally stop.

She padded over to the boy, who was up to his chest in the deep snow and nuzzled him. "You okay...?"

Zach giggled as she crooned to him. "I can't understand you."

The bear blinked. _Oh yeah_... She just couldn't seem to ever remember that people couldn't speak bear. "Well, that's your problem," she retorted as she gave him a furry smile. "You should learn bear, kiddo. Gotta give your ten cents, ya know?"

The boy wrapped his arms around her neck and buried his face into the soft fur. "I love you..."

As she put her massive paw around him protectively, she purred. Now, if you were to ask her if she purred, she would deny it... But there was no mistaking it. A soft, gentle hum rumbled from her throat as she nuzzled the top of his head. Ashley was more than content to just stay there... She could have, and maybe _would_ have... If a snowball hadn't hit her furry shoulder.

Her head shot up, ears erect as she caught sight of the assaulter. _Jack mother fucking Frost_. He was standing around ten meters away, and he was going down.

The winter spirit smirked at her before throwing another snowball. It landed right in her face, and she quickly decided that damnit, she had had _enough_. She stood up and sprinted over, sliding to a stop right in front of him and roaring right in his face.

Jack raised on salt and pepper brow. "You know... that might have been a lot more intimidating if your breath didn't smell like _pudding_." _Oh_, so he wanted intimidating, eh? Well she could _do_ intimidating! She reared up to her full height and glowered down at him. Jack hummed. "Okay... that's a _little_ more effective."

She landed heavily back onto her paws and snorted in his face before grabbing him by his hood with her maw, and threw him up into the air. Jack yelped in surprise, only to be caught by the bear's arms. An amused look shone in her eyes, clearly taunting him, '_You were saying...?_'

"Okay..." He admitted reluctantly, "That wasn't too bad." A furry smirk crossed her scarred face, and she dropped him to the ground before walking back over to Zach.

She flopped to the ground next to him, and Zach scrambled up her side to lay on her back. Jack came over and sat against her side, pulling his legs to his chest as she curled around him and smiling.

Zachary folded his arms behind his head as he stared at the crisp, blue sky in with content. Jack ran his fingers through her fur, and Ashley stared at the snow-covered mountains and plateaus, trying to ink the sight into her brain.

It got pretty quiet. Not an awkward quiet, just a calm, companionable silence. It wasn't quite on the same level as those days she'd spend with Zach on her day off, playing video games and cracking jokes. It wasn't quite as exciting and adrenaline racing as boxing, and being satisfyingly sore the next day. It wasn't taking BumbleBee for a spin... But nonetheless, it was still nice. Damn nice.

But there was still just _one_ problem. One little tick, nagging at her from the back of her mind. Zach was going to have to go back home, to school-to mom and dad. How was that going to work out...?

Pssh, knowing _her_... It was going to work out in the absolute _worst_ way possible.

* * *

**Author's Note~ **

**Yeah... I'm not sure how many chapters I've got left in me. One, two _maybe_ three, if I really stretch it out. I was thinking maybe the last chapter being during Christmas, many years later. Zach died a few days ago, and it wasn't until Christmas that she found out, then some doom and gloom and then some hugging, angst, and more angst. Then going to Zach's house to see his kids, putting on a game face for them...? I dunno... That seems a bit dark. Maybe I'll just... I don't know :/ I'll figure it out. Hopefully. Probably not, because... I kinda like to pretend in my mind that nothing bad ever happens to Zachary and he lives forever. It's not very realistic, but I just got _so_ attached to the little guy.  
**

**So... can I just say that I love you guys? Because I do. THERE IS THREE HUNDRED SOMETHING REVIEWS WHAT. RIDONKULOUS CRAP, MAN. Let me love you all!**

**As always let me know if I made any mistakes! Seriously, the next three days after publishing a chapter, I'm probably editting and adding to it, rather than working on the next one. And I hope my goofy little tale made you smile :)  
**

**ʕ´ᴥ`ʔ Bear with me, I'm trying my best! (Anyone sick of the bear thing yet? Cuz _I'm_ not! I think it's quite brilliant, myself ;P)  
**

**,_Blue_**


	21. Chapter 21

Zach swallowed thickly as he stared at the front of his house, crutches hanging over his shoulder. Ashley, back in her gladiatorial attire, glanced down at the boy and put her arm around his shoulder.

"Nervous?"

The boy glanced up, leaning closer unconsciously. "I... yeah. I never thought they'd notice I was gone..."

"I hate to say I told you so, but... I told you so." She chuckled as he lightly elbowed her side. "Kidding! I'm just kidding... Look, don't be nervous, right? Just tell them what we agreed on. You went out for a walk, and some guys pulled you into a car. There's gonna be an investigation, but that's okay. Just remember that you were blindfolded for most of the time, until finally, while they were walking you somewhere in town, you took off into the crowd and lost them before finding your way home. Throw in some stuff about how you were so scared and stuff. Then, badabing, badaboom-life goes on."

He nodded and nuzzled her side. "Are you... gonna go in with me? To see mom and dad?"

She grimaced. "I... I _want_ to. Honest I do, but... North and Bunny talked to me about it, and they said that it would probably be best if I didn't... I'm technically dead, I guess, so... that might cause a big scene and all. You know how Dad is when it comes to ghosts and spirits and crap. He doesn't play around... He'd end up hiring a priest, getting some holy water, salt, some silver crucifixes, and he'd make sure _everyone_ knew he saw his daughters ghost. It'd just be a real big scene, and you know I hate those."

His lips tugged down. "So... I guess this is goodbye...? Am I ever gonna see you again...?" He sounded pretty broken up when he asked her that, so... it probably didn't do much good when she cracked up. Zach pushed her with a scowl. "I'm being serious!"

"I know, I know," She chortled, a wide grin on her face as she waved him off, "I'm sorry, just... That was the _stupidest_ question that has ever come out of your mouth! _Am I ever gonna see you again?_" She mimicked before breaking into another fit of giggles. "God, I thought I raised you to be _smart_." She shook her head and grinned. "Zach, I don't think you quite understand yet. _You. Are. My. Baby._ What, you think I'm just gonna go and abandon you now that I'm friends with Santa Clause and the Tooth Fairy, and have a pet reindeer? _No!_ I've got stuff to do and people to help, sure, but I'll _always_ make time for you. Always."

He gave a small smile. "Promise?"

"Cross my heart and hope to die," She confirmed. Kneeling down on one knee and holding her arms open, she chuckled, "Now come here and give me a hug before ya start crying on me, you little bugger!"

He all but jumped into her arms, making her fall back onto her butt with a grunt. Burying his face in her neck, he inhaled deeply, "I really do love you, Ashley," He mumbled, "I know sometimes you worry about me, and that maybe you messed me up somehow-but I _swear_... you're the best thing that's ever happened to me."

A lump jumped up in her throat, and she wrapped her arm tightly, protectively, around his middle and the other cupping the back of his head. _God_, the things that kid did to her... "I love you, too," She mumbled quietly into his ear, "And I'm gonna tell you something sappy that I've never said out loud, and if you tell anyone I said this I'll outright deny it, but: Out of all the stuff I've done, all the idiotic or heroic crap I've ever did, the thing I'm most proud of is you, and... Are you smelling me...?"

He jerked his head back, a light blush on his face. "I don't know how long it's gonna be until I see you again!" He defended, "I'm trying to memorize it!"

She snorted and grinned teasingly. "It's not like I'm not gonna be gone for a year, kiddo, _sheesh!_ And why would you want to memorize the smell of sweat, _anyways?_"

"You don't smell like sweat... You smell like... Like a campfire and... a cigar, sort of. I'm not sure why, but it's sorta _fruity_...? It's a little girly, but only a little on the side of all the smoke and trees and stuff..." She raised a brow, causing him to blush darker with embarrassment and lightly hit her shoulder. "Stop looking at me like that!"

"Methinks you're losing it, bud," She teased, laughing as he buried his face back into her shoulder, "I'm just playing..."

He huffed and lightly head butted her. "You're a butt."

"But I'm _your_ butt," She reminded lightly before putting her hand on the boy's shoulder and reminding him gently, "And you've got some stuff to do, now, _without_ your butt there with ya."

Zach heaved a sigh and pulled away, a solemn look on his face. "I know... I'll see you soon...?"

"Count on it." She confirmed with a grin before kissing his forehead. "I love you, Zach... Stay out of trouble and keep on keepin' on, okay...?"

He hummed and nodded before standing up with the female gladiator, muttering a quiet, "Okay." He limped through the yard to the back door, only to pause and look back. He gave a small smile and waved, only to giggle under his breath when she stuck her tongue out at him. Zach threw her another one of those looks-the one filled with love and adoration that made her feel like she was on top of the world-before opening the door and stepping inside.

Ashley started counting in her head. She got to four before a loud, girly squeal came from inside the house, and the girl chuckled and shook her head to herself as a deeper, though equally girly squeal followed.

"My dad, man... He's a _nut_." She breathed she walked back into the woods, where Jack and Aleksei were waiting. North had _wanted_ to come, but the second they took a step into the ice cave, the huge man had started tearing up... He'd really taken a liking to Zach, and he'd gotten pretty used to the boy being around. So, as you can imagine, they figured it would be best if the large man said his goodbyes there and stayed... It was for the best, really. Christmas _was_ coming soon, after all.

Aleksei stepped forward and nuzzled the top of Ashley's head, causing her to laugh as she reached up to pat his neck.

As the girl neared the winter spirit, he slid his arms around her waist and hugged her. Naturally, she didn't mind it and leaned right into it, but... _come on_. This was _Ashley_, here. She couldn't let the guy off without teasing him. It was practically tradition by now.

"_Oh_, gettin' all intimate now that the kid's gone, huh?" She grinned as a light blush dusted his cheeks. "I can dig it... No sex in the woods, though."

His whole face turned bright red, and she laughed as he lightly bonked her upside the head with his staff. "What's _wrong_ with you?!"

"Everything," She stuck her tongue out. "Come on, Frost, get with the times! Sexual jokes are the _shit_ nowadays for people your age. Work with me here on this one, would ya...?"

He threw his arms up in the air. "_Why-_Who jokes about stuff like that?!"

Ashley snorted and leaned against a tree before beginning to count on her fingers. "Oh, kids, teens, a _lot_ of guys, me, and only about _every single comedian ever_." And, deciding to try to humor him, she added, "And I was _just joking_, by the way, about the no sex in the woods thing..." She faltered as the meaning of her words hit her, and she jumped up at the same time he did, waving her arms around. "Wait, wait, wait! I-uh... I meant, like, the _whole thing_ was a joke. Err, not a joke, but like... uhm... am I making this _any_ better...?"

He slapped his palm to his forehead and slowly shook his head. "Nope... not even a little bit."

Ashley's face warmed up a bit as she rubbed the back of her neck. "Okay, uh... Bear with me on this one, babe, I don't really-this is-I've _never_ been this unsmooth..." She put her hands together and moved them for emphasis. "I said that to make you blush, I didn't mean it. No sex..." She paused before adding, "Yet.. maybe... I dunno." She faltered as a thought hit her. "Do you even know about the birds and the bees...? I mean, that was like, what, three hundred years ago? Did you ever do the sex ed. class and put a condom on a banana or do you know from experience or not at all...?"

He gave her a bewildered look as his face turned even _darker_. _She didn't even know he could get that dark._ "What-_Yeah_, I know how it works!" He defended exasperatedly, "We weren't cavemen! And... what's a condom...?"

She tried not to laugh as she looked up at the sky. "Oh, Lawdy... I'm corrupting an innocent soul, aren't I?"

Daring to glance over, she saw his eyebrows rise into his hair. "Wait... _You_ aren't... you know..." He trailed off uncertainly. He... he really needed to learn that, sometimes, she was more oblivious than a brick wall.

"Christian?" She raised a brow. "_Yeah_. I thought we went over this. _Y'all motherfuckers need Jesus_ and what not..."

"No, no, no, I mean..." He bit his lip and shoved his hand in his pocket, twisting his staff with the other. "Uh..."

Aleksei walked up next to her, and she _swore_ he rose a furry brow, when it hit her. Oh. _Oh_. "Uh... are you talking about...?" She trailed off and balanced the trident against her before making a hand into a circle and putting a single finger through the hole. It wasn't the most majestic way ask what she was trying to, but it _worked_, as she found when the teen awkwardly nodded. At realizing that she was _indeed_ corrupting this poor boy, she tangled a hand in her hair as she breathed a laugh, "Oh, _no_, bro..."

Jack gave her a look. And at first, she wasn't sure _why_ he was looking at her like that... Until, of course, she went over what she had said in her head again.

"Nonono, not like-I'm-Yes! _Yes_, I'm a..." She faltered and snorted, lightly nudging his side. "What are you even asking for? _Look_ at me, man, do I look like the kind of person to be going around putting people's meat in my taco?"

The winter spirit poked her right back. "Do _I?_" He blinked and cocked his head to the side. "Meat in your ta-What?"

"It's a metaphor for sex," She explained with a chuckle, "And I'm just curious! You're _kinda_ my boyfriend, after all..."

Once she said that, Jack blinked and gave her a look... well, multiple looks, really, if you want to be precise. It wasn't an _angry_ look or anything... just a big mash of emotion. And, let's be frank here, Ashley _really_ wasn't amazingly good at reading emotions. They had to be bright and clear, or she had to know the person _really_ well to figure any feelings out, and neither was the case with the winter spirit. So she got a _little_ worried...

She shuffled nervously and glanced to the side as she wrung her hands nervously. "You... you _are_, right? I mean, we never confirmed anything, but I kinda assumed... Maybe I shouldn't have, but we kissed, sorta..." She faltered. _Had that _really _counted?_ "Well, I guess maybe that doesn't count, but we hugged and stuff, and you slept in my bed-"

"Yeah, _yeah_ I am!" He cut her off with a goofy grin. "I _wanna_ be, anyways. I was kind of worried to ask... maybe you'd changed your mind or something, I don't know... Am I? Y'know... that?"

She shrugged and flashed a smile back. "I guess, if you want to be. I still think it'll be a bit weird, but that's whatever... And I still think you could do better, too. You'd be cute with Tooth, but hell, if you wanna go out with me, that's _your_ loss. It's a win-win thing for _m_e, Frost."

His grin got wider, if that was possible, and he hooked his staff around her neck and tugged her over. Ashley let out a yelp as she was pulled over, and landed rather roughly against the boy with a surprised and disgruntled look on her face. He laughed at her and helped her straighten up a bit before wrapping his arms around her waist. "_Awesome_."

"You pull that again, and it might not be," She grumbled playfully, lightly headbutting his shoulder. "Any who," She sighed, glancing back at the huge reindeer, "Guess we gotta take Aleksei back..."

The beast's massive shoulders fell and he made a noise quite similar to a groan, which of course then made _her_ feel all guilty and stuff. It was then, that an idea hit her.

"Right after I take him for a walk."

Aleksei's eyes lit up, and she _swore_ he was beaming at her. Ashley ducked out of Jack's arms, ignoring his whine as she picked up her trident and scrambled up onto the giddy reindeer, laughing all the while at his excitement. Jack walked over as Aleksei reared in place.

"You know, this is really irresponsible and could get us in trouble..." He informed her before smirking. "And I love it. Can I ride, too?"

She snorted and grinned. "You've got two legs that aren't broken." That _would_ have been more effective... if she hadn't held her hand out for him to grab, before pulling him up.

"But what if they were?" He hummed in her ear, sending these _weird_-ass shivers down her back. Instead of pursuing the cause, however, she just shrugged it off. Jack _was_ the spirit of winter...

"You have arms, don't you?" She asked, laughing as he playfully punched her back.

"What if they were broken, too?"

"Well, you'd better tell your chin not to fail you."

He chuckled. "What if it did?"

"Then you'd better be ready to roll, Frost."

He barked a laugh. Somehow, he had expected to hear something like that... "You're so _cruel_... You wouldn't do that to _Zach_."

"I also wouldn't kiss him like I do you, either." She retorted, only to yelp as Aleksei suddenly reared up with impatience and quickly turn, grabbing Jack to make sure he didn't get thrown off. Aleksei landed heavily on the ground and snorted, turning to give the two a look. Once she was sure Aleksei wouldn't rear again, she let go and smiled apologetically. "Sorry, bud, sorry!" She reached down and patted the side of his massive neck. "You've been waiting here all patient while we screw around-We can go, babe, c'mon now."

The reindeer nodded his head and snorted once more before taking off. Jack let out a whoop as Aleksei galloped through the yard and leaped onto the street.

As he galloped through the streets, Ashley leaned down a bit to whisper in his ear. "Let's show Jack how we do things, babe." The beast turned his head to look at her mid-gallop, and once again she _swore_ he smiled at her before tensing all the muscles in his body and leaping into the air.

Aleksei flew low to the ground, yet despite that she and Jack cheered loudly. The reindeer galloped on the air, racing past cars and pedestrians that couldn't see them. For lack of a better word, it was just _awesome_. Aleksei, poor guy, was having _so_ much fun, so she really did hate making him stop... But as much as she liked North, she was still a little wary of making the huge man mad at her. He only outweighed her by, like, _five hundred pounds_.

"Alright, bud, come on now," She told the reindeer gently, "Let's bring it to a close..." The reindeer let out a noise similar to a whine, but steadily slowed down until coming to a stop in a vaguely familiar neighborhood. He looked back at her with sad eyes, and she grimaced as Jack laughed at her. "Come on, babe... Don't look at me like that..." She looked back at Jack for help, but he just grinned impishly at her. _Bastard._ Turning back to Aleksei, she pat his shoulder. "Come on, you know I love you, but if North ever got mad and sat on me, I'd _die_. Do you want that...?"

The deer snorted and shook his head, only to straighten his neck as his ears perked up. Just before she could ask what was wrong, she heard a door slam and a voice cry out.

"_Jack!_"

Wait... what, now? Ashley turned just in time to see Jack hop off of Aleksei and take off towards a kid, who she guessed was the source of the voice.

It was then, as she watched the kid hug Jack as the teen laughed, that she remembered that as much of a _pain in the ass_ Jack was sometimes, he really, _really_ was a good guy. Even if she hadn't already known that-_which she did_, by the way-she would be able to tell just by the way Jack interacted with the kid. The kid was hugging him, and even though she was kinda far away, she could see the way the winter spirit's eyes were lit up as he talked back to the boy. Jack really loved this kid... and she really wished that that didn't make her insides flip around because that was how _she_ was with Zach. And she knew that because people only _always_ told her what a sap she was for her little brother. She wished he'd stop being so _damn_ likeable... Of course, that wouldn't stop her from kicking his but should he need it, but she'd feel a little bad, and that's never fun.

As Ashley dismounted her reindeer and started walking over with her trident hanging over her shoulder, the kid's head shot up to look at her.

Something about the kid was familiar. He looked around Zach's age, give or take, with brown eyes, unkempt hair that fell over his forehead, and a teal musher's hat on his head. And he was looking at her like her dad would to any dates she'd bring home.

You'd think she wouldn't be intimidated by a _kid_, as he marched over with a stern look on his face, but... man, there's no look like the protective parent/sibling look.

The small boy marched right up to her, ignoring Jack's protests as he put his hands on his hips. "Are you Ashley?" He asked-no, _demanded_ to know. "Jack's girlfriend?" Jack started to walk over, but the kid turned to winter spirit and pointed at him. "Stay!" Needless to say, Jack sat on the ground with a sheepish look on his face. Once he was sure Jack would stay, the boy turned back to Ashley.

There was that feeling again, the one where she felt like she was getting scolded by her mom. "Uh... yes...?" She said slowly, meekly. "Spirit of Courage at your service..."

The boy nodded and crossed his arms, standing up as tall as he could while giving her that same look. "Jack is the best Guardian in the whole world, and if you _ever_ hurt him, I'll-" _Was she really about to have that talk with a kid...?_

"-Let me cut you off there," She told him as she kneeled down to his height. "I know what you're gonna say." She nodded to herself and leaned in like she was telling a secret. "You're worried I'm not good for Jack, that I'm gonna hurt him, all the shebang... Well, I'm with you on that one. And I _tried_ to tell him and warn him, but Jack wouldn't listen..."

The boy looked at her suspiciously. "You're not making that up, are you...?"

Raising her arms in defense, she scoffed. "Heck no... Jack's a real nice dude, and I'd rather get fifty shots than see the guy get hurt. I'm _terrified_ of those, by the way," She confided with a sheepish grin, "Don't make fun of me, please..."

He giggled quietly, visibly relaxing some as he started to lean in, too. "Don't worry, I think they're scary, too, I won't make fun of you."

She chuckled. "Thanks, kiddo, I surely appreciate it. And I promise I'm not gonna hurt Jack," She assured him, "Don't tell him I said this-his head's already big enough as it is-but I actually really care about him... just between you and me. I wanna put him in a chokehold sometimes, sure, but I care about him. Seriously... don't tell him I said that. I'd hate to have to kick his booty, y'know?"

The boy laughed. "No offense, but I don't think you'd be able to."

"What, beat him up?"

"Yeah..." The boy grinned as she cried out insultedly, dramatically.

"Say _what?!_" She asked, "Come _on!_ Why does everyone doubt my skills, man?!"

"Well... can you fly...?"

She faltered. "I... no..."

"Can you shoot anything out of your trident?"

"No..."

"Can you do a backflip?"

"Yes!" She said quickly, all too happy to finally be able to say so. The boy giggled at her before giving a not-so-sympathetic smile.

"You still wouldn't be able to beat him, I think..."

Her pride visibly deflated as her shoulders slumped, mumbling under her breath, "I could beat him Halo..."

The boy's eyes lit up. "You play Halo?!"

She scoffed like she was insulted, hand on her chest and everything. "Of _course_. Since the very first one came out!"

"You're a _gamer?!_"

"Shoot yeah!" She grinned. "I've been gaming since before you were born! Worked at Gamestop for almost three years-you'd better believe I am! And a good one, at that!"

He grinned right back. "Awesome! I've never met a girl who plays video games before!" He laughed and held out his hand for her to shake. "I'm Jamie Bennett."

She put her hand in his and shook it. "Ashley Catherine Edgewood, and do I know you...? Something about you's familiar. Would you happen to know a kid named Zachary?"

Jamie's eyes lit up. "Zach? Yeah, I did a few projects with him! He's nice, but kinda quiet and... he went missing around a week ago... Right after the polar bear showed up at the school, and Jack carried it off."

Ashley's eyes widened and a sheepish look overcame her face. "Uh... _yeah_," She laughed weakly, "That, uh... that was me..."

His eyes got big. "That was _you?!_"

"Yeah..." She chuckled meekly, "That was me..."

"That's so cool!"

For the first few moments she was a little surprised, but she was quick to shake it off, as a grin crossed her face. "I know, _right?_ You wanna see?!" She laughed as a huge smile crossed the boy's face. "Because I totally could. Right here, right now."

"For real?!"

"You know it!" A wide, somewhat manic grin crossed her face as she motioned for him to back up before closing her eyes in concentration. Within moments, she grew taller and thicker and white fur sprouted along her body as her trident clattered onto the floor and melted down, running across the asphalt and into her paws. When it was done the scarred bear snorted into the small boy's face, who in turn gaped at her in shock and awe.

Jack shot up, eyes wide and teeth clenched. "_Ashley_-Don't you-If you-He's just-Do _not_ eat him!"

The bear's head jerked back, staring at Jack dubiously. _Did he really think she would...?_ Her furry brows narrowed. Nope. Nope, nope, nope. She _had_ to mess with him, now. Likeable be damned, the fact that he would even _consider_ that she'd hurt the kid was _not_ sitting well with her.

So do you know what she did...?

She picked Jamie up by the back of his shirt with her maw and tossed the kid into the air as high as she dared to toss him, pointedly ignoring Jack's yell. Which wasn't as high as she _could_ have, really, but still pretty high. Around eight-ish feet. Jamie let out a squeak and a grunt as he landed in the bear's outstretched arms. His eyes were as wide as dinner plates, with a somewhat dazed look on his face.

Then Jamie exploded with excitement. "That was frickin' _awesome!_" He made various hand motions as he animatedly talked. "Did you see me?! You were all '_whoosh!_' and then-then I was all up in the air, and then you-you caught me! Like I weighed nothing!" He gave a giddy laugh. "No one's gonna believe this-that was so unreal!"

A low hum came from her throat as she gave the boy a furry grin, glancing over at Jack. His jaw was dropped, and his whole stature was just _defeated_ and all exasperated like he was going to sink to the floor and just... really made her wish she had a camera.

Jamie turned over at the completely _flabbergasted_ Jack and beamed. "I approve! And you _may_ want to keep a close eye on her, because I think I might steal her!" Snorting as her body shed all her fur and bones shrunk, she raised a brow.

"Oh yeah?" She chuckled, "You might _steal_ me away, huh?"

"Yep," He said, popping the '_p_', "You're awesome. You can turn into a _bear_. You've got armor, and a really cool trident. What's not to like?"

She laughed and gave the boy a crooked grin as she set him on the ground, ruffling his hair as she grabbed her trident. "Oh, there's a _lot_ of stuff not to like... But y'know, you keep this up and it might not be theft, 'cause I think I'd be willing. You're already adorable enough as it is, man, this just isn't fair..."

She looked over at Jack, whose mouth was still dropped, and raised a brow. "So are you just gonna stand there and catch flies all day, Frost, or what?"

He blinked and shut his mouth before shaking his head to clear it. "I, uh..." He trailed off again, and she snorted.

"Cat got your tongue, O Nipper of noses?" Ashley asked sarcastically, looking down at Jamie and using his shoulder as an armrest. "You know, I'm starting to have seconds thoughts about your off-_ow!_" She yelped as a snowball hit her right in the face, and she shot a glare at Jack, who had finally caught back his bearings. "Oh, you wanna go?!"

He smirked. "Bring it."

The girl quickly grabbed Jamie and pointed at the small boy with her trident. "I call dibs on Jamie! He's on _my_ team," She glanced down and held out her fist towards him. "Right, bud?"

The boy grinned and bumped his fist against hers. "For sure."

Beaming, she placed her trident on the ground and scooped up some snow, packing the stuff into two balls and tossing one to jamie. "Then let loose the hounds of war!" She hooted as she threw the snowball.

Jack saw it and moved, making the snowball hit his shoulder rather than his face. _Damn_. The teen laughed and waved his staff, making snowballs appear on the ground around him. "You're gonna have to do better than _that_ if you wanna defeat the king of snowball wars!"

"We're just warming up, Frost_butt!_" She barked back, dropping down to the ground and hurriedly making as many snowballs as she could for ammo. "You shoot, I'll supply the bullets." She told Jamie without looking up from her work. "You don't have gloveson, and I don't need to worry about frostbite anymore... _hopefully._"

Jamie nodded at her before beaming his ball of snow at Jack, only to have his shoulders slump as the winter spirit leaped out of the way. "Aww..."

"Don't worry, Jamie," Ashley assured him, looking up for a moment, "We've got plenty of time and plenty of ammo. you'll get hit." She glanced back down, expecting to see the small piles of snowballs she'd just made, only to see finely dusted snow flat on the ground. She growled and shot a glare at Jack. "That's cheating, Frost!"

The boy laughed mischievously and dodged another thrown snowball. "You never said we couldn't cheat!" He stuck his tongue out, only to yelp and duck as a _familiar_ trident flew to his face. It flew past him, inches away from shaving his hair and landed in a tree behind him. He gaped at her. "You could have killed me!"

She shrugged and gave a cheeky grin. "But I _didn't_. And besides, you never said we couldn't kill each other."

"Wow, you threw that _way_ out of proportion," Jack retorted dryly, rolling his eyes, "But fine... No cheating."

_Right_ as he finished saying that, a snowball smacked him right in the face. For a few seconds, everything went completely still. Another hit him in the face once more before Ashley and Jamie hooted with laughter, holding onto each other to keep from falling on the ground.

"Brilliant shot, kiddo!" She gasped between chortles, high-fiving him. "Just _brilliant!_ A work of art, man! _God_, I wish I had a camera with me!"

The young boy laughed, holding his sides to keep a stitch at bay. "You know it! And that one you threw was _perfect!_"

"Teamwork!" She whooped, only to get smacked in the face with four snowballs in a row and fall back flat on her back. She stayed on the ground, eyes wide before raising a fist in the air. "REVENGE!" She shot up, arm ready to start tossing, only to jerk back when a familiar face appeared right in front of hers. A grin crossed her face as she greeted the floating boy. "Glowy! How are ya, bud?"

* * *

**Author's note~  
EW this is late. Blargh... Sorry 'bout that guys, They've been drilling us for testing week, and I've had NO time to write what-so-freaking-ever. But hey, at least it's over... thank glob for that.**

**SO. I'm gonna be straight with you guys... I'm running out of ideas. I'm gonna introduce Glowy/Nightlight and have Ashley have a little chat with an imprisoned Pitch, but after that I draw a blank. I don't usually do this, but here goes: I need some ideas. **

**Gimme some hints. What do you guys want me to do? Once that's over and done with, do you want me to just end it? Do you want me to do another story that shows into Ashley's past/interludes or whatever that show different point of views/insights about what she does as the Spirit of Courage/the back stories of the other Spirits of Humanity, etc...? Do you have an idea that would keep this going? Like, for instance, maybe Jack has an accident and forgets all about Ashley, maybe hooks up with Tooth and Ash tries to forget him by drowning herself into her new job only to have a happy ending? Hell, maybe even a lemon? More action, romance, hurt/comfort, maybe some angst? I DUNNO GUIZ, it's up to you! Granted, not all things you suggest might be used, but it would sure help a bunch, regardless. I'd like to know what you'd like to see. I wanna keep this goin', really I do, but I've got a serious case of writer's block, bbies (as is probably apparent by my shittier than usual writing).  
**

**I LOVE ALL OF YOU, and I don't know why or HOW you put up with me, but I love you for it! Thanks so much for all the reviews, favorites, and follows! As I've mentioned before, I don't know why this is so bloody popular, but it is and I LOVE YOU GUIZ. Tell me if I made any errors and where they are, and as always, I hope my goofy story made you smile :)**

******ʕ´ᴥ`ʔ Bear with me**, homies!  


**, _Blue_**

**Oh yeah, and check it! (sakuradrawing. deviantart dot com/art/ Ashley-Catherine -Edgewood- 358662657 (no spaces and a '.' where it says dot)) A BEAUTIFUL AND TaLENTED PERSON MADE ME SOME FUCK MOTHERING FANART WHAT?! This is-She is-WHAT?! I LOVE EVERYTHING AYSDSALKJFKS"D:LKhfafdsgljadlfygasdidsail ez s4vudozjd *PTERODACTYL SCREECH*  
**

**I CAN'T BREATHE AND MY FACE HURTS FROM SMILING SO DAMN MUCH WHAT IS AIR?!**


	22. Chapter 22

The boy spun in mid-air and smiled in greeting to Ashley, diamond staff in one hand as he gave a small wave with the other.

"Still not talking, huh?" She mused, more to herself than him, waving back as she looked behind the glowing boy to Jack. "Hey, Frost, come meet my buddy, Glowy!"

The winter spirit blinked. Somehow... this didn't surprise him. Ashley made odd friends about as easy as he made frost, he guessed... "That's... His name's not Glowy. It's Nightlight. And... since when did you know him...?"

"Oh," She waved a hand dismissively, "Like a day or two ago...? He's still my bud, though. I gave him a cookie and stuff. He's a Guardian... I think... maybe... he-he didn't really say or anything, so I'm just kinda wingin' it, here, really."

"He _is_ a guardian," Jack confirmed as he leaned on his staff, "The very first Guardian. He single-handedly defeated and trapped Pitch for some thousands of years."

Ashley's eyebrows shot up. "_Woah_... You're flippin' _old_, man. You must use one hell of a moisturizer." Jamie giggled at her comment as Jack walked over to three of them and shook Nightlight's hand.

"Hey," Jack greeted rather awkwardly, "How's it goin'? Taking a break from guarding Pitch, I'm guessing?"

Nightlight gave a shrug and nodded as Ashley perked up. _Pitch?_ Like, the fuck that she nearly killed? The guy that she needed to both kick in the trachea and apologize to? _That_ Pitch?

"Hold on a sec, you guard Pitch?" She asked Nightlight, "As in, the Nightmare King?"

As Nightlight nodded, Jack nudged her. "What other Pitch is there...?"

She rolled her eyes and nudged him back. "Shut up," She told him off-handedly before looking back at the glowing boy, "Where is he, can I talk with the guy?"

The second she was done talking, Jack told her firmly and flat-out. "No."

"Aww..." Her shoulders fell and she huffed. "But _why_...?"

"Because Pitch nearly-no wait, he _did_ kill you." Jack's salt and pepper eyes drew together as he scolded her, "We already had one big scare. I don't want another one."

Jamie's eyes shot up into his hair. "You _died?!_"

"It was _one time!_" She defended, raising her arms, trident and all, in exasperation. "And even then, it was only because I was slightly loopy from falling a _thousand feet from the air_, and I was stressed out because I wasn't sure if you'd be okay or not and 'cause I almost _killed_ someone, and I was tired; my adrenaline had run out! It's not that big of a deal..."

The white-haired teen heaved a sigh and slapped a hand to his forehead. "You may not know this, Ash, but dying is _sort of_ a big deal."

A bemused look crossed her face. "Maybe, but... I came back." She snorted and gave a crooked grin. "What'cha afraid of, babe? Think I'm gonna go and get myself killed or something?" She barked a laugh. "_Ha!_ As if... Death is for squares, I'm not gonna get blown up. So no worries, 'kay?"

He gave her an unamused look. "Not '_kay_. Because You're not going."

Ashley raised a brow and went silent a few moments before looking at Nightlight. "If I ask, will you take me with you to see Pitch?" The glowing boy nodded, though looking unsure while he did so, and Jack protested loudly.

"You're not helping!" He scowled, lower lip forming a rather childish yet adorable pout.

Finally, having reached her patience's limit, she finally motioned for everything to stop and told Nightlight to wait a minute before wrapping an arm around Jack's shoulders and leading him away.

"Okay, babe," She finally breathed, "You know I hate talkin', but sometimes I've gotta... What's your beef? I'm a big girl, man, and I can decide what I wanna do, _when_ I wanna do it. What's the issue...?"

His features softened a bit, but he still looked pretty stern. "Look, I _know_ you can take care of yourself, but... I'm not sure you realize just how _bad_ you looked after Pitch stabbed you. Zach was terrified, Bunnymund was worrying himself to death, and I... I don't want to go through that again. Once was _more_ than enough."

For a moment she just stared at him, when it hit her. "Oh... _Oh!_ You-you think-you're worried that I-naw!" A goofy laugh escaped her lips before she could stop it, and she pulled him closer and nuzzled the side of his face with a crooked grin on her face. "You... you're adorable. I just-I _can't even_-is that all this was? You're just worried, yeah...?"

He grunted shortly, despite the fact that he was all but melting to her touch, leaning in without a second thought. "That's one way to put it, yeah... And I'm not adorable!"

She scoffed. "_Lies_. But listen, darlin'... I'm not dying until _I_ say so. And I'm not planning to do that for quite a while, so be cool."

He raised a brow. That was a new one... "Did you call me '_darlin'_?' I... _what...?_"

A light blush dusted her cheeks, and she grimaced. ""I... yeah. Yeah, I did. Gerad's redneck accent rubbed off on me, so sue me! I don't really think before I talk much, _you_ of all people should know that."

He smirked and wiggled his eyebrows, only to get a hand to his face as she pushed him away.

"You suck," She grumbled, "And I hope you know that I _am_ going, you know, no matter _how_ sweet you are."

He frowned and his shoulders sank. "_Dang_... I kinda thought I had you, there." His hand fidgeted as he gave her a kicked puppy look. "Are you _sure_ you can't just... forget about this? About Pitch?"

She gave a wry smile and lightly bonked her head against his. "Yeah... No worries, Nipper, I won't take long. I'll be... _quick as a bunny_." She wiggled her eyebrows at her pun, expecting to get a laugh at her joke only to get, not really a big surprise, _nothing_. "Why do I waste my jokes on you people...?" She finally huffed, throwing an arm up in exasperation. "I'm wasting my brilliance on-on-on frickin' sacks!"

Nightlight cocked his head to the side curiously as she walked over. "Come on, Glowy, let's go see Pitch." The glowing boy shot a look to Jack, who just nodded curtly.

"Yeah, just go," Jack sighed. "She's more stubborn than a brick wall, I'm not gonna be able to stop her... Just... just keep an eye on her, alright...?"

Nightlight nodded and shot the boy a small, reassuring smile before grabbing Ashley's wrist.

"So how does this work?" She asked curiously, "Do you, like, teleport, or have the tunnels like Bunny does, or-_Baaallllllllllllllllllsss!_" She ended up screaming as the two shot into the air like a rocket and disappeared into the clouds.

Jamie looked over at to the winter spirit. "Jack?"

"Yeah, kiddo?"

"I think I'm in love..."

The teen nodded in agreement before double taking and giving Jamie a bewildered look. "Wait, _what?!_"

* * *

Ashley collapsed to the floor and swallowed bile. "By _God_, you're worse than _Jack!_" She wheezed between dry retches, "I didn't think it was possible, _but you're worse!_"

The boy gave her an apologetic look as he rubbed her back.

"_Please_..." She breathed, "_Please_ tell me we're where we need to be... If not, man, just leave me here to _die_... I _can't_." When he nodded, she nearly screamed with relief. "Thank you God," She muttered under her breath, "Thank you baby Jesus..." Before standing up on shaky legs, using her trident as a crutch and motioning for the boy to lead the way.

Nightlight nodded but threw her a concerned look.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," She told him, albeit a bit weakly. "Just lead the way, Glowy."

He nodded and began walking towards a cave she had never even noticed. Black, almost oily looking stalactites and stalagmites stood in rows at the entrance, reminding the girl of a maw with sharp and jagged teeth. As she followed him into the cave, she was quick to notice how _dark_ it had gotten, so quick.

Soon, the only source of light was Nightlight, his staff, and her trident which faintly glowed. Ash tripped and stumbled over rocks so much that her palms were bloody by the time they reached a cavernous room.

There was a single beam of light that came from the roof, that shined on a single spot in the middle of the place. But that wasn't what had her attention... No, it was everything around that. Every few seconds, she _swore_ she saw something shift within the shadows, or the faint glow of eyes blink, as though waiting for something. It was quiet enough to hear a pin drop... and, to be honest with herself, it _scared_ her. She could hear the faintest _grunting_ and _growling_ within the shadows.

Ashley had never been one to be afraid of the dark, and she _still_ wasn't... She was more worried about what was _in_ the dark.

Her attention got drawn away from those concerns when Nightlight gently put his hand on her shoulder, motioning for her to go to where the beam of light stood.

Something dark contrasted against the beam of light, and as she stumbled over, a head lifted. "_Pitch_." She breathed to herself.

As she neared, she winced. His face was battered and bruised, nose broken and busted with dried blood on one side of his face. His hands were bound and chains wrapped over his arms and torso. She set her trident by her feet as she kneeled down and pulled a damp rag from her back pocket.

Pitch winced as she put the cool rag to his face, only to exhale in relief. "Has it been so long already," He asked, "That you've remembered I still exist, and have come to take pity on me...?"

Ashley shrugged. "It actually hasn't been all that long. Only a couple weeks..."

"But the question still stands... Come to take pity on the old boogieman?" His voice was emotionless as he frowned at her.

"Not really pity," She answered, pulling away the rag once the dried blood no longer caked his face, "More... sympathy, really."

"Just another word for pity." He shot back.

The girl paused and raised a brow as she looked at the man. _God,_ he looked so tired... "I used to think that, too." She confessed quietly. "But it's really not..."

The Nightmare King heaved an exhausted sigh. "Why have you come here...?"

Again, she shrugged. "I don't know..."

The man frowned as he watched her, and grunted as he sat himself up a bit. "You know... you're not the first to have visited me. Another one has... someone you know."

"Yeah?" She cocked her head to the side.

He nodded as his face almost turned... _mournful_. "The faceless watcher of fate."

"Slendy...?"

"Yes, my dear, yes," Pitch told her quietly. "Listen to me, and listen well... I believe we can still do this. We can still join together, control this pitiful earth-"

"Pitch," She sighed, "I'm not taking over the world with you." She pointed to herself. "Good guy, remember...?"

"No, _listen_," He said, voice tinged with desperation, "That is not the reason I ask this of you!"

"Then what _is?_"

"Something is going to happen!" He barked, "Something to _you!_"

"What is?"

"I don't _know_," He told her sorrowfully. "Something that may _break_ you... The fate watcher, the one you call '_Slendy_' said that something might happen, and depending on how things go, will hurt you... It will hurt you, like every blasted person has done so to me... If you join me now, maybe, maybe we can _stop_ it. It will be such a big change, there will be _no_ way for this to take place."

She frowned as she studied him. He seemed genuine, but... "It _might_ happen...?"

"There's a large possibility," He confirmed with a nod. "And there's a chance it will break you."

"Like... kill me, break me...?"

Pitch shook his head. "No, my dear... It will break you in _spirit_."

Ashley raised a brow and asked him dubiously, "So... you want me to let you out, kill all the Guardians and Spirits, just so you can keep something that might not even happen, from happening... _if_ it does."

"You don't _understand_," He pleaded with her, getting more and more worked up, acting more insane with each word. "You didn't see it... _I_ did. We can still stop it!"

She stopped and stared at him for a minute before asking slowly. "Okay... Let's say I believe this... But, _why do you care?_ I turned down your offers before... I nearly _killed_ you... Why would you care if I '_broke_' as you put it...?"

The man gave a heavy, labored breath. "I had a _daughter_, once... She was everything to me... and _you_... You remind me of her. So spirited, so loyal... The fearlings, always whispering to me, telling me to stop trying to get you to join me, but they don't _understand_. Not like you and I do... I know what you long for... You long for respect. For the chance to-to prove yourself. People seem to have so _little_ faith in you and your abilities..."

"But not I," He continued. "My trust in you shall not waver... and even if you should fail, we can always try again. We could be a family... I will _never_ keep anything away from you. I'll believe in you like no one else has. When you need me, I'll _be_ there for you, always... I'll even spare your little beloved Guardians and what-not, that one little boy you are so fond of... _Please_."

Ashley glanced back at Nightlight, who watched cautiously, muscles tensed as he prepared to step in.

"Look at him," Pitch murmured to her, "Doesn't trust you at all... He already thinks you'll betray him, _them_, the man in the moon; and you have yet to even utter a word..."

She looked back at him, mind spinning with all the '_what if'_'s before pulling the Boogie man into a hug. Pitch froze as his eyes widened, before sighing contentedly and melting into the embrace.

"I knew you would see reason." He breathed. A lump grew in her throat.

"I do," She told him, voice cracking with emotion. "I _do_ see it. But... I'm still not gonna do it-I'm sorry..." As Pitch gaped at her, she looked up at the sky light. "Even if-even if something _does_ happen, I-I can't dwell on it. To join you, that would be _giving up_. Surrendering... And I can't... actually, I _could_, but I _won't_. I know you're trying to help me, and I appreciate it, and I know you're _right_, but... I can't do this, turn my back on everyone, just because I'm scared of fate." She gave a weak smile. "Shit happens, Pitch... Life sucks. I've gotta take the good with the bad, even if the bad outweighs the good, because the good is _still there_. Always. Even if it's a hundred to one... People always forget that..."

She grabbed her trident and used it to pull herself up. "I'll come and see you soon." She promised quietly. "I'll try to bring you something... Do you like tea or coffee, more...?"

He looked at her in disbelief for the longest time, before finally letting his shoulders fall and sighing. "Tea, if you would. Hot, with cream and sugar, if you would..."

Ashley nodded. "Sure. I'll see ya..." She told him before turning away and stumbling away.

She didn't get very far, before Pitch called her. "Ashley." When she turned back to him, he sighed. "I think you're making a big mistake."

"I think I might be making a big mistake, too," She confessed. "But that's just a part of life. You live and learn... I think I'll bring you some chocolate, too... That okay?"

He frowned but nodded. "Sure... That will do," He mumbled before turning away. "I'm always here... Hopefully, I'll be seeing you..."

"Definitely," She called back. "Oh, and Pitch...? Who says that fear always has to be bad...?" When his head slowly lifted, she grinned. _Hook, line, and sinker_... "Fear can be good. Fear gives you adrenaline. Adrenaline keeps you alive. It makes you fast when you need to be fast, and strong when you need to be strong. Think on that for me, will ya...?"

The girl scrambled up the rock to Nightlight, who gave her a sheepish, apologetic look, but she just waved him off.

"Don't sweat it, Glowy," She assured him, gesturing for him to lead the way, "I would have stressed some, too, if I were in your spot..." She yelped as she trips and slid onto her already bloody and throbbing palms. "Glowy, _please_ let me grab onto you," The girl pleaded, "At this rate, by the time we get out of her, my hands are gonna be _stubs_."

When the boy nodded and helped her up before holding his arm out for her to grab.

She exhaled in relief. "_Bless_ your face..." Nightlight breathed a laugh as she grinned at him. "Now all we need to do is fly me home without makin' me nearly puke..."

* * *

"That didn't work," Ashley gasped as ran to a bush, "This time was _worse_." She wasn't able to swallow the puke in time, as she heaved her breakfast into the brambles.

She heard Jack yell something to Nightlight before footsteps neared, and a familiarly chilled hand rubbed her back. "You okay, Ash...?"

"I dunno, yet," She grunted as she swallowed another wave of bile and shuddered. "Oh, Jesus... I know now, why humans weren't made with wings..." She wiped her mouth and grabbed a handful of snow, stuffing some into her mouth and letting it melt (which didn't really take all that long) before swishing it around in her mouth and spitting into the bushes. "No offense, Glowy," She called as she stood up straight, "But next time I'm visiting, I'm getting Frost or Aleksei to take me... _ugh..._"

Said boy frowned at her and wrapped an arm around her. "Wait, what do you mean, _next time?_ You're going again?!"

Ashley nodded and rested her head against his cool shoulder. "Yeah... I am."

Jack groaned. "You're _insane_."

"I know," She mumbled.

The teen gave her a look before catching sight of her red-stained palms. "And what happened to your hands?!"

"I fell." She answered. "Like, fifty times. It was dark as _hell_ down there..."

The winter spirit sighed. "What am I going to _do_ with you?!"

She just shrugged as she nuzzled his neck. The thought occurred to her that maybe, _maybe_ she should tell him about what Pitch said, but she was quick to decide not to... Whatever happened, happened. She would deal with whatever it was when, or rather, _if_ it happened. But until then...

"You know what...?" Ashley finally said slowly as it dawned her. "I can finally get out of here... I can explore the world!"

Jack raised a brow at her sudden and seemingly random burst. "What...?"

"Let's go to China!" She exclaimed as a grin grew on her face. "No, how about Paris?"

"Paris...?"

Ash faltered. "Y'know, you're right; that place is too wimpy, too _cliché_..." She jumped up. "Let's go see the Coliseum!"

Still confused but deciding, _just roll with it_, Jack scoffed. "Do you know how freaked out people would be if a snowstorm formed in Italy...?"

"Exactly!" She laughed. "Let's make world news headlines! '_Freak Snowstorm in Italy!_' Can you _see_ it?"

Jack blinked as he thought about it, and his lips curved into a smirk. "You think it would really make world news...?"

"Man, are you kidding?" She chuckled and threw her arm over his shoulder. "All _sorts_ of mess makes world news! We could _do_ this!"

He grinned mischievously. "Count me in."

Ashley laughed and kissed his cheek. "Let's do it, Nipper!"

Yeah... Things were pretty sweet, right then... Whatever was coming, she would be able to take it, no doubt. Hell, she had the winter spirit and the Easter Bunny on her side!

_Bring it on_.

**_~End_**

* * *

**Author's note~**

**And, at last, we reach the end. But fear not! The end is merely the beginning to another great adventure... and I have always wanted to say that, woo! Look at me, yo, gettin' stuff _accomplished_!**

**Ahem, anyways... This really was the end. I thought about keeping it going, but the major conflict's at an end, and there's other stuff I wanna work on. But no worries, guys! There _will_ be a sequel! Just... not for a bit. I'm gonna have some R&R from our spirit of courage. Get a few other stories done, 'cause my brain just really wants to focus on other stuff.  
**

**SO. I LOVE YOU GUIZ. NO FLIPPIN' JOKE. I can honestly say that I love each and every one of you. This whole thing has been a _trip_, and you guys have been _so_ supportive and I don't even know _why_. But I for damn sure appreciate it... every fave, follow, review, every single read-even if you didn't particularly enjoy my story, I appreciate that you took the time to look at my goofy tale.**

**I would say to bear with me (ʕ´ᴥ`ʔ), but I guess I don't really need to anymore... I'M NOT SOBBING TO MYSELF, I JUST HAVE SOMETHING IN BOTH MY EYES.**

**Thanks for the adventure, guys!**

**, _Blue_**


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